The Russian oligarchs are fighting back. This Thursday, a Russian billionaire announced that he was suing French authorities to regain access to two of his yachts seized last March by French customs.
Alexei Kuzmitchev, whose fortune is estimated at 7,000 million dollars according to Forbes and whose name appears on the list of oligarchs in the sights of the European Union, has seen his two ships “La Petite Ourse” and “La Petite Ourse II” confiscated, detained in the cities of Antibes and Cannes on the French Riviera.
Two vessels of 17 and 26 meters respectively, whose total amount amounted to 90 million euros according to the Bercy services questioned last March.
Properties and cars in France
A seizure considered illegitimate according to his Parisian lawyer Philippe Blanchetier, who confided to Reuters.
Alexei Kouzmitchev owns cars and property in France that are also under sanctions but that he can continue to use. He simply has no right to sell or rent them.
The French customs office did not immediately respond to a request for comment and a verdict on this proceeding is expected on October 5.
The 59-year-old Russian billionaire is a major shareholder in the Alfa Group conglomerate, which includes Alfa Bank, one of Russia’s largest taxpayers.
Source: BFM TV
