Paris public prosecutor’s office examining ski resort deal but Russian businessman Nikolai Sarkisov denies personal involvement
The Paris public prosecutor’s office is investigating financial transactions allegedly involving the French billionaire Bernard Arnault and a Russian businessman.
The prosecutors are investigating transactions involving Arnault, whose ownership of the luxury goods group LVMH has made him the world’s second richest person after Elon Musk, and Nikolai Sarkisov, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office. Sarkisov’s brother, Sergei, founded the Russian insurance company Reso-Garantia.
The French newspaper Le Monde first reported the existence of the investigation, citing transactions involving property at the Courchevel ski resort. It cited a December 2022 document from Tracfin, part of France’s justice system focused on combating money laundering, which reportedly lists transactions “which may characterise money laundering”.
A spokesperson forReso-Garantia said that “neither Reso-Garantia, nor Mr Sarkisov personally, has been involved in the transaction that was described in the Le Monde article.
