PARIS: Russian businessman Alexey Kuzmichev, co-owner of the Alfa Group Consortium, has been detained in France on suspicion of money laundering, reported Sputnik quoting French media on Monday.
Le Monde newspaper said that the French prosecutor’s office (PNF) confirmed that Kuzmichev had been taken into custody while his real estate property had been searched, including his apartment in Paris as well as his mansion located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris between the National Assembly and the Orsay Museum, and his villa in Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera.
The co-owner of the Alfa Group Consortium, which controls Russia’s Alfa Bank, has been under EU sanctions since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. Among other things, he was banned from remaining on the territory of the European Union.
Over 60 agents of the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Tax Offenses (OCLCIFF) as well as about 40 officers of the special police forces participated in the raid, the newspaper reported. During the searches, numerous wads of cash were discovered.
Three investigations were launched against Kuzmichev on charges of money laundering and financial fraud as well as violation of sanctions, the report said, adding that it is the third time that the PNF has launched an investigation against Russian businessmen.
Another 15 cases were opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office against Russian citizens on charges of money laundering while acquiring real estate in Paris, the French Riviera and the Alps, the report noted. As part of these investigations, the French authorities have reportedly already seized property worth more than 100 million euros.
Kuzmichev was sanctioned in March 2022. His two yachts, moored in Antibes and Cannes, were placed under customs arrest. However, Kuzmichev challenged this decision in court. In December, a French court ruled to unfreeze one of his yachts. –Bernama
