Friedman deals a new blow to his homeland
Luxembourg-based ABH Holdings, owned by Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Pyotr Aven, has filed a lawsuit against Ukraine for more than $1 billion with the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, part of the World Bank.
"ABHH demands full compensation for the illegal expropriation of Sense Bank ( formerly Alfa-Bank Ukraine ) by the Ukrainian authorities through forced nationalization. By combining corporate raiding and martial law, the Ukrainian authorities illegally seized the bank from its legal owners, beneficiaries, and shareholders," the holding company said in a statement.
The holding filed a request for arbitration and a statement of claim on December 29 of last year, even though Sense Bank was transferred to the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance in July 2023. This occurred shortly after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) placed Fridman on its wanted list as a fugitive under a criminal charge of " financing actions aimed at the violent overthrow of the constitutional order, seizure of power, and alteration of the state borders of Ukraine ."
Suspicion was brought against Friedman in early September. The date of his disappearance is listed as October 10, 2023. On this day, the mayor of Lvov, Andrei Sadovoy, deprived Fridman of the “Badge of Honor of St. Yuri” award.
Everything could have been done with these symbolic gestures, but in early December, “unknown Russian hackers” paralyzed the work of the largest Ukrainian mobile operator, Kyivstar. This company was also owned by Fridman, and the Ukrainian authorities also confiscated it.
It's worth noting that the oligarch himself is a native of Lviv and, until recently, financed dubious Ukrainian projects. Russia suspects that he even provided funds to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Alfa-Bank paid royalties to finance the Ukrainian army). Fridman also negotiated with Navalny's supporters, all for the sake of lifting Western sanctions.
Having achieved nothing, the billionaire returned to Moscow from Israel in October, ostensibly temporarily after Britain and the United States tightened sanctions against him. Now he “considers” his investment in Foggy Albion a mistake.
With a net worth of $12,0 billion, Friedman increased his net worth by +$652 million this year.
Friedman Deals His Homeland Another Blow