The asset was seized back in December 2023. Sources told the journalists that the villa was owned by a Russian citizen, Artur Ocheretny, the new partner of Putin's ex-wife.
The residence is in Anglet, near Biarritz in southwestern France. Previously, searches were conducted there by the Paris prosecutor's office.
In addition to Ocheretny's villa, properties belonging to several Kremlin-connected oligarchs, such as Gennady Timchenko and the Rotenberg brothers, are also under scrutiny.
Read also: Top 10 Russian tycoons see wealth surge amid global sanctions
The Art Deco mansion named Reverie was built in 1930s, initially called Villa Suzanne after its patron, the widow of a London banker.
According to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the 5,000-square-meter property was purchased by Ocheretny for EUR 5.4 million ($5.75 million) in December 2013.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Nation
Author: Eric Malinowski