Largest seizure to date

Luxury Gazprom villa seized in France

A huge, luxurious villa believed to belong to Russian energy giant Gazprom has been seized by the French authorities as part of a money laundering investigation. The jewel on the Côte d'Azur has an estimated value of 120 million euros - it is said to be the largest seizure in the country since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Villa Maria Irina is officially owned by a Russian-Armenian oligarch, but the public prosecutor's office in Paris assumes that its "true beneficiary" is a Gazprom subsidiary, reported "Le Monde".

Three hectares of land, three swimming pools, tennis court, helipad
The property also includes a three-hectare plot of land. The main building has several storeys, and there are also three swimming pools, a tennis court and a helipad.

The luxurious property has a turbulent history behind it: it used to be called Villa del Mare and belonged to the dictator of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko. According to the public prosecutor's office in Paris, it was allegedly acquired via various companies in order to conceal the actual beneficiary, Gazprom.

Purchase of villa allegedly only on paper
In 2016, the property is said to have been transferred from Gazprom Neft, Gazprom's oil subsidiary, to the Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. Investigations assume that this takeover only took place on paper, however, and that the villa continued to be used by the Gazprom subsidiary. Karapetyan is the founder and president of the Tashir Group, which is active in the real estate, construction, energy and finance sectors. 

The property was already confiscated on February 12 along with shares in the owner company, according to the authorities.