A multi-million euro villa in the South-West and an apartment in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, owned by Russian oligarchs, were seized on suspicion of money laundering, according to Challenges and Le Monde.
Justice has announced the seizure of two new Russian assets in France. The villa “Souzanna”, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and a luxurious Parisian apartment are both the subject of an investigation for aggravated money laundering, according to information from Le Monde and Challenges magazine. Investigators are seeking in particular to understand the origin of the financing of these assets, held by relatives of Vladimir Putin, whose value exceeds (and for one of them very much) a million euros.
A villa linked to Vladimir Putin’s ex-wife
Acquired for an amount of 5.4 million euros in December 2013 in Anglet near Biarritz, the villa “Souzanna” was seized on December 6, 2023, announced the prosecution, which specified that “no person was currently being prosecuted in this case”. The investigations, launched in September 2022 under the aegis of the National Jurisdiction for the Fight against Organized Crime, are carried out by the Central Office for the Suppression of Serious Financial Crime. The accommodation, also called “Rêverie”, would belong to Artur Ocheretny, the new companion of Vladimir Putin’s ex-wife.
The investigation must in particular determine whether the funds which enabled this acquisition have a fraudulent origin or not. Renovation work was carried out for an amount of 3.5 million euros, according to Challenges – a total investment of around 9 million euros.
This procedure was initiated following a complaint from the anti-corruption association Transparency International, according to the prosecution. The complaint, filed in 2022 after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, targeted four Russian oligarchs or relatives of oligarchs.
Arthur Ocheretny acquired other real estate in Europe, notably in Spain and Switzerland, for several million euros. However, his officially known professional activities “do not generate sufficient income to justify such a lifestyle”, observed Transparency International. The property had also been occupied by “activists who called for its confiscation for the benefit of the Ukrainian people”developed the organization.
Apartment of ex-wife of Putin loyalist seized in Paris
In December 2023, another property, this time belonging to Ekaterina Solotsinskaïa – the ex-wife of Dmitri Pesko, loyal to Vladimir Putin – was also seized as part of an investigation by the judicial finance service for aggravated whitening, according to the world. It would be a luxurious apartment located in the 16th arrondissement of the capital. The former companion of the spokesperson for the Russian presidency held, until March 2022, 75% of the shares in the real estate company Sirius, owner of the apartment. The remaining 25% belonged to his daughter, before she parted with it after the invasion of Ukraine and the placement under European sanctions of Dmitri Peskov.
Here again, the acquisition of the apartment is of concern, with the origin of the funds uncertain, when the property purchased for 1.7 million euros in 2016 was purchased by Ekaterina Solotsinskaïa, who nevertheless declared “no occupation” on the deed of sale. 470,000 euros were notably loaned by the Russian bank VTB. Sberbank, one of the main Russian banks – placed under European sanctions in July 2022 – would also be involved.
Unlike property freezing, which can be lifted, “seizures and confiscations remain the most appropriate path to achieve definitive confiscation, or even restitution for the benefit of the Ukrainian people”, estimated Transparency International. Especially since the properties refer to a circle very close to Vladimir Putin – which has caused the “Souzanna” villa to be tagged with “Fuck Putin” Or “Glory to Ukraine” two days after the invasion in Ukraine.
