A huge luxury villa believed to be owned by Russian natural gas company Gazprom has been seized by French authorities as part of a money laundering investigation. The jewel on the Côte d’Azur is estimated to be worth 120 million euros. It would be the largest seizure in the country since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Villa Maria Irina is officially owned by a Russian-Armenian oligarch, but prosecutors in Paris believe the “real beneficiary” is a subsidiary of the energy giant, Le Monde reported. The house also includes a plot of land of three hectares. The main building has several floors and there are also three swimming pools, a tennis court and a helicopter landing site.
The luxurious building has a turbulent history: it was previously called Villa del Mare and belonged to the dictator of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko. According to the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was allegedly acquired through various companies to disguise the actual beneficiary, Gazprom.
The purchase of the villa would only have been made on paper
In 2016, the property was reportedly transferred from Gazprom Neft, Gazprom’s oil subsidiary, to Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. Research assumes that this takeover only took place on paper and that the villa remained in use by subsidiary Gazprom. Karapetjan is the founder and president of Tashir Group, which is active in real estate, construction, energy and finance.
The property was confiscated on February 12, along with the owner’s company shares, according to the authority.
Source: Krone
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