The Ministry of Justice aims to recover property that was illegally owned by Maxim Bakiev
Kyrgyzstan has initiated legal proceedings against the French authorities in order to reclaim a castle that once belonged to the late oligarch Boris Berezovsky. This was reported by the Telegram channel "Eurasian Briefing".
The lawsuit was filed by the Ministry of Justice of Kyrgyzstan to recover assets that were illegally acquired by Maxim Bakiev, the son of the fugitive former president Kurmanbek Bakiev.
The court proceedings are likely to drag on for several years, and the outcome remains uncertain, as the decision depends on the French judiciary.
The castle in question is called "Château de la Garoupe" and is located on the Cap d'Antibes in the famous "Billionaires' Bay." Maxim Bakiev registered this property in the name of his partner Berezovsky; however, after Berezovsky's death in 2013, he was unable to re-register it in his name, and it remained unclaimed.
The process of returning this luxurious property to the Kyrgyz state is overseen by Justice Minister Ayaz Bayetov.
Maxim Bakiev, the son of Kyrgyzstan's second president, acquired the villa during his father's presidency. The exact date and amount of the transaction remain unknown. Berezovsky, in turn, became the owner of the castle in 1996, paying 8.4 million euros. The villa occupies a plot of over 100,000 square meters and has access to the sea. Later, in 2001, Berezovsky purchased another villa and land nearby, with a total cost of nearly 13 million euros, bringing the total value of his properties in the area to approximately 74 million euros.
After Berezovsky's death in March 2013, an investigation into his assets began, and in 2015, a court in Marseille sentenced realtor Jean-Louis Bord to a conditional two-year prison term, while the castle was confiscated as it had been acquired with criminal proceeds.
French investigative authorities took ten years to analyze the schemes related to the purchase of this property, and in 2015, all assets previously owned by Berezovsky were confiscated.
In 2023, the agency managing confiscated assets in France put part of Berezovsky's property up for auction, and in 2024, the castle was sold to American entrepreneur Jan Koum for 65 million euros.
After Kurmanbek Bakiev was overthrown in April 2010, Kyrgyzstan nationalized 47 properties, including real estate and companies owned by high-ranking officials. Of these, 25 properties remained under state control, while the other 22 were sold, bringing in over 200 million soms.
Bakiev came to power in Kyrgyzstan as a result of the "Tulip Revolution" in 2005, replacing Askar Akayev. In 2010, in an attempt to suppress protests, he ordered the shooting of demonstrators, resulting in 84 deaths and 1,500 injuries. As a result of the "April Revolution," he fled the country and is believed to currently be in Belarus.
Bakiev was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison and placed on an international wanted list. Authorities are also pursuing members of his family, forming the so-called "Bakiev clan."
If Kyrgyzstan succeeds in reclaiming the castle, it could become the most significant achievement in the history of the nationalization of the "Bakiev family" assets, considering that the last known sale price was 65 million euros.
Information about the purchase of "Château de la Garoupe" and other assets of Maxim Bakiev was provided by Alexey Shirshov, who was a close associate of Bakiev and held high positions in the energy sector. In 2010, he left the country and was placed on an international wanted list for embezzlement and misappropriation.
In May 2022, Shirshov was detained but was soon released under house arrest. The President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, explained the necessity of his release by stating that he agreed to cooperate with the investigation and assist in the recovery of assets, including 200 million dollars that are under arrest in various countries.
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