Andreï Akimov, the boss of Gazprombank, is one of the essential links in Vladimir Putin’s regime. This is evidenced by his presence at the meeting of February 24, 2022 – the day Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was launched – during which the Russian president demanded from around forty Russian oligarchs their “solidarity” with the war effort in Ukraine.
Unlike most of the men present that day in the Sainte-Catherine room of the Kremlin, Andreï Akimov escaped the freezing of his assets by the European Union (EU): the continent cannot do without its bank to pay its Russian gas supply. A cautious man, Mr. Akimov has taken the initiative to offload, in 2022 and 2023, a significant real estate asset that he held in France, including The world reveals the existence, as part of an investigation in collaboration with the Russian media iStories.
Dozens of documents, resulting from both leaks of confidential data and public registers, make it possible to link Andreï Akimov to four prestigious villas, located on the Côte d’Azur, in Haute-Savoie and on the island of Saint- Barthélemy, whose acquisition value exceeds 20 million euros.
The financing of this heritage, in which we find a myriad of offshore companies, raises the question of the origin of the funds and possible laundering. Sold since the invasion of Ukraine, these properties now seem safe from possible seizure by the courts, even if the reality of Mr. Akimov’s withdrawal raises questions: some of the new owners of the villas are, in fact, , linked to the oligarch or the Russian hydrocarbon industry.
When asked, Andreï Akimov refused to answer our questions in detail, believing that they were “unreasonable” and based on “conjectures”. He also specifies that he “reserves the right to protect its interests by all legal means available” in the event of publication of information “false or defamatory”.
Goods resold below the purchase price
Andreï Akimov’s footsteps lead first to Villefranche-sur-Mer (Alpes-Maritimes). Officially, it is difficult to link the oligarch to this 1,600 square meter property with swimming pool and Japanese garden, purchased in 2009 for 5.5 million euros by a Monegasque company called SCP Barca. On the Rock, it is impossible to access the identity of the owners of civil companies.
But the documents filed by the notary at the time of the sale of the villa, in July 2022, list two shareholders whose names are not foreign to Gazprombank. Anna Litvintseva, majority shareholder, presented as “retired” and “private investor”, is co-owner of several offshore companies alongside Mr. Akimov and his ex-partner, Marianna Chaykina, in the British Virgin Islands and Cyprus. The other shareholder is Viktor Komanov, a member of the board of directors of Gazprombank. Requested by The worldthey did not follow up.
You have 65% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.