MOSCOW, September 2. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office will seek the transfer of two estates in France bought with money stolen by late business tycoon Boris Berezovsky. Spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office Marina Gridneva reported this on Tuesday.

“A criminal case against French citizen Jean-Louis Bordes is submitted to the Correctional Court of Marseille. He is charged with legalization of criminally obtained property with compliance of Boris Berezovsky through securing acquisition deals for estates Clocher de la Garoupe and Chateau de la Garoupe on the Mediterranean coast of France (Cap d’Antibes),” Gridneva said.

She specified that these real property items were acquired with funds stolen in Russia by Berezovsky and participants of an international criminal community created by him.

“Russian Prosecutor General’s Office is in constant cooperation with relevant French authorities, receiving necessary information on the course of the Bordes trial. Upon its results, a decision will be made regarding the possible transfer of estates Chateau and Clocher de la Garoupe in favor of the Russian state and our local companies that sustained losses because of actions of Berezovsky and his accomplices,” Gridneva stressed.

She added that the charges brought against Bordes are upon eight articles of the Criminal Code of France, stipulating long prison terms as penalties. “A similar charge was brought by the Marseilles court against Berezovsky, however, July 31, 2013 his criminal prosecution in France was suspended amid news about Berezovsky’s death in March 2013,” said Gridneva.

Actions of Russian court authorities

Within this cooperation, on the previous week, Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office received from the French Ministry of Justice an official ruling statement of the High Court of Marseilles dated June 17, 2014 about the arrest of real estate property — Chateau de la Garoupe.

“Regarding the estate Clocher de la Garopupe, upon the petition of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, the Basmanny district Court of Moscow in July 2007 made a ruling, which made the High Court of Marseilles place a judicial mortgage on this real estate item,” Gridneva explained.

She emphasized that “Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office is set to seek maximum compensation of damage incurred by Berezovsky and the confiscation of his criminally acquired property regardless of its location and formal belonging to other formal false proprietors”.

Earlier, upon the requirement of Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, Berezovsky’s residence in Antibes on the Cote d’Azur has been placed under arrest in France.

Death of Boris Berezovsky

67-year-old Boris Berezovsky put on the wanted list by Russia in April 1999 was found dead in the bathroom of his country mansion in Ascott near London on March 23, 2013. According to an officially unconfirmed theory, the businessman could have committed suicide. Russian bailiffs, in their turn, were searching for Berezovsky’s property in regard with a consolidated enforcement proceeding on collection from the ex-oligarch and debtors associated with him of 3.275 billion rubles.

November 14, 2013, the bailiffs received from the British Embassy to Russia a copy of a temporary document confirming the death of Berezovsky and filed a request with the Moscow Notary Chamber to open a succession case involving Berezovsky.

Earlier, several Berezovsky’s property items were placed under arrest in Russia. These are stakes in authorized capitals of IDS Borzhomy, Aqua Logistika, Mineralniye Vody Borzhomi, Edelveis L, Aqua-Star, Lipetskkurortresurs, real estate items registered as property of Edelveis L, Aqua-Star, Lipetskkurortresurs, as well as valuable securities.