Roman Abramovich's £90m luxury villa Château de la Croë has been been seized by French authorities. Photo: Wikimedia
Roman Abramovich's £90m luxury villa Château de la Croë has been been seized by French authorities. Photo: Wikimedia
Roman Abramovich's £90m luxury villa Château de la Croë has been been seized by French authorities. Photo: Wikimedia
Roman Abramovich's £90m luxury villa Château de la Croë has been been seized by French authorities. Photo: Wikimedia

Roman Abramovich's $120m French Riviera mansion seized by French authorities


Neil Murphy
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A £90m ($120m) mansion belonging to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has been seized by French authorities.

Château de la Croë is situated on Cap d’Antibes, one of the most glamorous parts of the French Riviera, and was bought by Mr Abramovich in 2001, two years before he completed his purchase of Chelsea Football Club.

The home, built in 1926, was previously owned by England's King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, better known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who hosted high profile guests there including former British prime minister Winston Churchill.

The château was then owned in the 1950s by billionaire Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis and later by his lifelong rival, Stavros Niarchos.

A fire destroyed part of the property in the 1970s, and it remained abandoned for decades until Mr Abramovich swooped in and spent more than €150m on renovations over the years.

The villa was among 12 properties belonging to Mr Abramovich, most of which were bought using specially created French companies.

Mr Abramovich was among several wealthy Russians added last month to British and European Union sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and governments have since been taking action to seize their yachts and other luxury assets.

The Duke of Windsor and Duchess of Windsor at their Riviera home in 1939. Getty
The Duke of Windsor and Duchess of Windsor at their Riviera home in 1939. Getty

It comes as a the Royal Court of Jersey imposed a formal freezing order on $7 billion worth of assets linked to Mr Abramovich while police have searched properties linked to the billionaire, the British Channel Island's Law Officers' Department said.

In a statement, the Law Officers' Department for the self-governing British Crown Dependency said Jersey Police had on Tuesday carried out searches of premises suspected of being connected to Mr Abramovich's business activities.

“The Royal Court also imposed a formal freezing order on 12 April, known as a saisie judiciaire, over assets understood to be valued in excess of US$7 billion which are suspected to be connected to Mr Abramovich and which are either located in Jersey or owned by Jersey incorporated entities,” it said.

Earlier this month, the Caribbean nation Antigua and Barbuda said it was willing to help Britain seize yachts owned by Mr Abramovich.

Superyachts linked to the businessman, together worth an estimated $1.2 billion, have also been docked in south-west Turkey.

Mr Abramovich had sought to sell Premier League football club Chelsea before he was sanctioned, but that process was taken out of his hands by the British government after his finances were blacklisted.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Roger Federer's 2018 record

Australian Open Champion

Rotterdam Champion

Indian Wells Runner-up

Miami Second round

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Halle Runner-up

Wimbledon Quarter-finals

Cincinnati Runner-up

US Open Fourth round

Shanghai Semi-finals

Basel Champion

Paris Masters Semi-finals

 

 

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

RESULTS

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Ferdous, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-3 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,400m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6pm: UAE Arabian Derby Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 2,200m
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6.30pm: Emirates Championship Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 2,200m
Winner: Somoud, Patrick Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Conditions (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Bairaq, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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The specs

Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric

Transmission: n/a

Power: 402bhp

Torque: 659Nm

Price estimate: Dh200,000

On sale: Q3 2022 

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  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
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  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
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Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)

What is THAAD?

It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.

Production:

It was first created in 2008.

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THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".

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To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.

Range:

THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.

Creators:

Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.

UAE and THAAD:

In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.

While you're here
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Pension support
  • Mental well-being assistance
  • Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
  • Financial well-being incentives 
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final

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Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')

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1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

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Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)

Date started: August 2021

Founder: Nour Sabri

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace

Size: Two employees

Funding stage: Seed investment

Initial investment: $200,000

Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East) 

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Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT

Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: 
Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
​​​​​​​Scribe

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06

5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08

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Lily Allen

(Parlophone)

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Updated: April 14, 2022, 6:37 AM`