Ukrainian oligarch likely bought US$122 million London penthouse – document leak
Rinat Akhmetov, Ukraine’s wealthiest person, is believed to have bought a two-storey penthouse in Chelsea Barracks in London for US$122 million in 2022.
Source: Slidstvo.Info with reference to a new investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)
Details: The investigation is based on an analysis of documents leaked from Cypriot consulting companies that provided services to oligarchs and billionaires from all over the world. The leak has been dubbed Cyprus Confidential.
The documents were analysed by 272 journalists from 54 countries worldwide: reporters from Munich-based media outlet Paper Trail Media and partners of the global investigative journalists’ network ICIJ and OCCRP, including Slidstvo.Info.
Journalist Tetiana Kozyrieva has studied the documents linked to Rinat Akhmetov.
Her research shows that in July 2021, Akhmetov undertook to purchase a two-storey penthouse worth about US$122 million in Chelsea Barracks in London. The transaction was conducted through Gelion Properties Ltd. a British Virgin Islands-registered company whose beneficial owner is Akhmetov.
The sale went through in 2022.
Several parking spaces and additional storage areas were included in the price.
According to investigators who have studied correspondence marked "Urgent" and "Confidential" between employees of Cypcodirect and the Cypriot branch of PwC, Gelion was used to purchase the penthouse in order to guarantee "confidentiality" for Akhmetov and keep his name out of the Land Registry.
ICIJ asked Akhmetov about his purchase of the London penthouse via Gelion, but he did not respond.
He refused to comment on "any investments or transactions which may or may not have occurred, or their status".
Background:
- Rinat Akhmetov is Ukraine’s wealthiest person, estimated by Forbes to have a fortune of US$4 billion.
- In July 2023, Akhmetov’s power company DTEK Energo said it was relying on government loans to rebuild thermal power plants damaged in Russian attacks.
Support UP or become our patron!
