Ilia Shumanov

Ilia Shumanov is Managing Partner at TriTrace Investigations, where he leads complex corporate and cross-border investigations involving beneficial ownership, hidden assets, sanctions exposure, supply chains, financial crime and litigation support.

He brings more than 15 years of experience in open-source research, corporate and litigation investigations, and anti-corruption analysis. At TriTrace, Ilia oversees investigative strategy and delivery, including the scope of work, key hypotheses, evidentiary standards and the practical application of findings by clients.

Prior to TriTrace, Ilia led Transparency International Russia, where he has remained a Board member since May 2025, while also contributing to expert work involving the G20, the OECD and the European Commission.

Ilia is also a founder and board member of Arctida, a non-profit organisation conducting research and investigations into the Russian Arctic, including infrastructure projects, sanctions policy and the economic development of the region.

Ilia has led several investigations into corruption-linked elite networks, politically connected business interests and complex sanctions-circumvention structures across Central Asian markets.

The mandates involved identifying hidden ownership and influence, mapping cross-border supply chains and intermediaries, and documenting how preferential access and regulatory capture distorted competition.

The findings helped clients assess their exposure and provided evidence of broader risks to fair competition and the region’s investment climate.

Ilia oversaw a cross-border investigation after a private investor lost USD 10.3 million through a payment company registered in the Czech Republic and operating through Latvia.

The evidence supported criminal proceedings and the freezing of approximately 80% of the stolen funds; the investor was formally recognised as a victim and the frozen crypto assets as evidence.

The mandate examined the official, family members and close associates across multiple jurisdictions, combining corporate ownership, property, travel, geolocation, financial and relationship data.

The investigation identified evidence of undisclosed business interests, conflicts of interest and links between regulatory decisions and private commercial interests.

The findings provided the client with an evidence base for legal action and contributed to restoring the company’s previous operating position with the regulator.

TriTrace was approached by several victims whose losses initially appeared unrelated.

Under Ilia’s investigative oversight, the team connected the cases through recurring victim-engagement patterns, wallet infrastructure, domains, communication channels and service providers. Crypto flows were traced across wallet clusters and exchange touchpoints, while digital identities were linked to real-world participants.

The resulting evidence package was prepared to support criminal complaints and engagement with law-enforcement authorities.

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