Iona Napier
THE business dealings of Vladimir Putin are under investigation after claims have emerged that he tried to buy a Spanish property through a Russian mafia chief.
Papers revealing the Russian president intended to buy a Costa del Sol property were found in the care of one of Russia’s biggest crime bosses, Gennady Petrov.
Despite forceful denial from Putin, a note has emerged, dated 2001, which reads ‘Senor Putin, land in Malaga, Russian area or Russian urbanisation. Land not bought. Administration presidential affair’.
The paper was found when Petrov’s lavish Mallorca property, complete with a Salvador Dali and numerous expensive cars, was raided in 2008 by Spanish police.
The papers which suggest the Malaga property deal are under investigation as part of a ten-year probe into Petrov’s criminal dealings.
Although Putin is not mentioned in the Spanish indictment, conversations between Petrov’s alleged gang members talk of his owning a Spanish property in the Alicante area.
Putin forcefully denies any accusations of his owning any undeclared houses outside Russia, although Olive Press sources revealed in January that the Russian was buying up a multi-million euro Marbella vineyard.
This story comes around like clockwork yawn! The story about buying a vineyard wasn’t true either.
Putin: a criminal masquerading as head of state, Russia being essentially a gas station controlled by a few dozen mafia among which Putin is the don. I know Russia well and have spent long periods there and in Ukraine, also Belarus and Baltics.
Seems “Olive Press” only have one picture of Putin :)