Real estate, helicopter, money, jewelry, artwork
The property of the businessman and architect arrested in Italy Lanfranco Cirillowho planned the 'palace' near Gelendzhik, according to reports from La Stampa and La Repubblica.
The architect's property, valued at 141 million euros, was seized as part of an investigation. Cirillo is suspected of committing tax offenses by not reporting income amounting to tens of millions of euros from 2013 to 2019, as stated by the Italian Financial Guard.
The investigation was initiated after the discovery of a Russian-registered helicopter in the province of Brescia, with incomplete customs procedures, as mentioned in a press release.
Among the seized assets are real estate, a helicopter, bank accounts, cash, jewelry, works of art including pieces by Picasso, Cezanne, Kandinsky, de Chirico, and other luxury items, according to La Repubblica.
Cirillo’s legal representatives previously stated that he could provide evidence and testimonies to confirm that his income was earned outside of Italy and therefore not subject to its taxation. Cirillo expressed surprise at encountering such a issue after living in Russia for more than 20 years and assured that he was cooperating with the authorities to clarify his position fully.
Chirillo gained fame in Russia following reports by Reuters in 2014 identifying him as the supposed architect of a resort complex near Gelendzhik. That same year, he was granted Russian citizenship by President Vladimir Putin.
The resort complex in question is an oppositionist Alexey Navalnynow aboutserving a sentence in a colony, called “Putin’s palace.” Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stressed that the property has no association with the Kremlin and is privately owned.
In January 2021, billionaire Arkady Rotenberg referred to as the beneficiary of the complex, admitted to initially withholding his ownership due to the 'purely human factor.' He addressed the scandal surrounding the structures, dismissing insinuations and asserting the absence of any illegality, while also revealing plans to construct an apart-hotel on the site.
Cirillo confirmed that he was the architect of the complex near Gelendzhik, having carried out a project commissioned by a Moscow company. “StroyGazConsulting”.
