A court on Monday ordered the detention of Russian oligarch Alexei Kuzmichev.
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The French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of tax fraud and violating sanctions, French newspaper Le Monde reported.
Kuzmichev has been on European sanctions lists since March 2022. He is the main shareholder of Alfa Group, which includes Alfa Bank, one of Russia’s largest taxpayers. In addition, the EU calls Kuzmichev close to Russian President Putin.
Forbes magazine estimates the oligarch’s fortune at almost $6.5 billion. Last year, French authorities confiscated two of Kuzmichev’s yachts moored in the south of France. The arrest of one of the yachts was canceled in October 2022 due to procedural errors.
A BBC source close to the businessman confirmed information about the searches and noted that dozens of police officers arrived at different addresses associated with Kuzmichev.
The BBC’s interlocutor believes that the searches at Kuzmichev’s place are also related to the accusation of circumventing sanctions.
Le Monde writes that during searches that took place, among other things, at the businessman’s Parisian home and at his villa in St. Tropez, wads of money were discovered.
According to Le Monde, when the sanctions came into force in March last year, Kuzmichev was already in France. He also has family connections in the country.
In December last year, a search took place in the London mansion of another founder of Alfa Group, Mikhail Fridman. The businessman was suspected of conspiracy to circumvent sanctions, money laundering and perjury.
In September 2023, the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) closed its investigation into Friedman.
The businessman later told The Times that the NCA, which carried out an operation at his home, had acted “unjustifiably and senselessly”.
Lawyers acknowledge that the raid was illegal, so Friedman must pay damages for illegal entry into the house, pay legal fees, and return the seized cash, The Times reported.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.