Libertex founder Viacheslav Taran killed in Monaco helicopter crash
Monaco news outlet Monaco Life (monacolife.net) is reporting that a lone passenger on a Monacair helicopter that crashed above Monaco on Friday afternoon was identified as Viacheslav Taran, the co-founder and controlling shareholder of Retail FX and CFDs brokerage brands Libertex and Forex Club.
Mr. Taran, aged 53, and the helicopter pilot were both killed in the crash.
Monaco Life reported that the EC 130 helicopter left Lausanne, Switzerland, shortly after noon. Mr. Taran was in Lausanne attending to business at crypto trading platform YouHodler SA, where he was a board member. YouHodler is run by former Libertex management board member and fellow Russian expat Ilya Volkov. Mr. Taran was also an investor and board member of Wirex, a popular app-based crypto trading and wallet platform.
The reported point of impact was on the Plateau de la Justice near the Roman road close to the Col d’Eze mountain pass, above the A8 autoroute just west of Monaco, where Mr. Taran resided.
The weather locally was reportedly good when the accident happened at about 14:00. Monaco Life reported that an investigation into the cause of the crash has been opened. A deputy public prosecutor from Nice also visited the scene, and suggested that “foul play had not been ruled out” as the reason for the crash.