Russian Billionaire Says Cops Used ‘Kompromat’ to Raid London Mansion
- Sanctioned Mikhail Fridman challenging NCA’s December searches
- Any allegations of criminality never proven, Fridman says
An entrance to the Athlone House mansion, London.
Photographer: Hollie Adams/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman claimed that a police raid on his London mansion in December for alleged sanctions evasion was illegal and relied on “kompromat” including a 15-year-old report that made a series of unproven criminal allegations.
At a London court hearing Thursday, Fridman’s lawyers argued the National Crime Agency misled judges when it applied for a search warrant last year by overly relying on the 2007 report compiled by a private firm. The NCA’s lawyers have accepted that the warrant should be quashed but want to continue the agency’s investigation for sanctions evasion.