The French Financial Prosecutors’ Office says Russian entrepreneur Alexey Kuzmichev has been held for questioning in France in connection with alleged tax fraud and money laundering, as well as violations of international sanctions.
As part of the inquiry, searches were conducted at Kuzmichev’s Paris home and in the Mediterranean Var region, according to the Office, confirming a report in the French daily Le Monde.
Russia will be able to defend Kuzmichev’s rights once Paris provides detailed information about his case, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
European sanctions prohibit sanctioned individuals from entering the EU territory but Kuzmichev was already in France when he was included in the sanctions list, which supposedly exempts him from being considered a violator.
French customs agents last year seized the oligarch’s 27-metre yacht “La Petite Ourse”, as part of sanctions by the European Union for his ties to President Vladimir Putin.
The move sparked a legal battle between authorities and Kuzmichev, a former major shareholder in Russia’s Alfa Bank.
Forbes ranked Kuzmichev 20th on the country’s billionaires list in 2022.
The businessman has been sanctioned by the EU since March 15, 2022, but he left Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
