Former Russian politician and now billionaire-in-exile Boris Berezovsky is in trouble once again over his megayachts.
On February 17, French authorities acted on behalf of Russian prosecutors and took possession of two yachts they said belonged to Berezovsky. While neither yacht’s name was released, one was revealed to be 49 meters LOA (161 feet), with the other said to be smaller. Both were docked in Golfe-Juan, France. According to the news agency AFP, an anonymous court source indicated that Russian officials are investigating Berezovsky for fraud, money laundering, and other activities.
Berezovsky, who has been living in England since 2000 and was granted political asylum there in 2003, was not present for the seizure. He was further quoted by several news agencies as saying the yachts were not his.
Interesting enough, the French authorities seem to want the yachts removed from their control as quickly as possible. Jean-Michel Cailleau, a prosecutor, was quoted by AFP as saying, “The question is what to do next. Either Russian seamen will take them via the Black Sea, or they will leave them here. But there is no question of us paying for their upkeep.”
This is Berezovsky’s second high-profile legal problem related to yachts within the past year. Last summer, a UK court ruled that he needed to pay Edmiston & Company a £6-million ($9.3-million) sales commission. It was related to the sale of the 110-meter (361-foot) Darius, now known as Radiant, while she was still under construction.
Leave a Reply