One of Ukraine's business tycoons Ihor
Kolomoisky is among four prominent businessmen facing a $380 million worldwide
freezing order that ties up property including his luxury French villa, months
after he settled a multi-billion-pound claim in an unrelated case in British
courts.
Ihor Kolomoisky and fellow billionaire Hennadiy
Boholiubov are accused by Tatneft, a Russian oil company, of illegally seizing
control of a refinery joint venture in Ukraine and siphoning hundreds of
millions of dollars into their shell companies, according to documents filed at
a London court.
Two wealthy associates of the Ukrainians were named by
state-controlled Tatneft in the suit that is seeking more than $334 million
from the men.
"This is a stale claim, concerning historic
events," Ali Malek, Boholiubov's lawyer, said in a London court Friday.
"We submit there is a real possibility that the claim is
time-barred."
The order signed by a London judge includes
assets like a private jet, a boat and properties in England and France.
Kolomoisky's French villa, which sits on one
hectare, and another 50 acres in the Haute Savoie region is part of the order.
Several of Boholiubov's expensive London
properties are subject to the order, including a house on Belgrave Square near
the gates of Buckingham Palace worth over 4 million pounds ($5.7 million)
according to property website Zoopla. The March 22 order permits the men to
have as much as 5,000 pounds ($7,190) in weekly living expenses.
As reported, Tatneft confirmed the suit against
the two men as well as Oleksandr Yaroslavsky and Pavlo Ovcharenko. They are
accused of fraudulently taking money in 2009 that the Tatneft was entitled to
for oil shipped to the Kremenchuk refinery, the company said in a statement.
Ovcharenko didn't have lawyers present at Friday's court hearing.
Lawyers for Boholiubov and Kolomoisky didn't
immediately comment on the lawsuit. A spokesman for the Ukrtatnafta refinery,
where Ovcharenko is the chief executive officer, declined to comment on his behalf.
A spokesperson for Yaroslavsky declined to immediately comment.
Kolomoisky is one of Ukraine's most influential
businessmen and was Dnipropetrovsk regional governor until 2015.
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