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The Duke of Westminster, the property tycoon and the missing millions: Britain's richest man may be called as witness in a multimillion-pound fraud claim
The case relates to a house in London's exclusive Eaton Square that the duke once sold
The Duke of Westminster, Britain's richest man, looks set to become caught in a multimillion-pound legal wrangle over a house he sold in exclusive Eaton Square, in Belgravia, west London.
It is claimed the duke's Grosvenor Estates empire sold the property for £3.8m in 2007 to a company thought to have been financed by one of Manhattan's most glamorous society figures, Janna Bullock. Three years later, with the London housing market roaring away once more, the house was sold on for a jaw-dropping £20.5m.
It is currently thought to be occupied by one of Azerbaijan's richest families, the Marandis, whose patriarch Javad Marandi is said to have two private jets and a passion for vintage wine.
It is not entirely clear how the Eaton Square house commanded such a huge mark-up between purchase and sale, although it is said that several leaseholds were bought from owners of flats within the building, and planning permission had been secured. It has been turned into a mansion, extending into the mews house behind, with an underground swimming pool and a gymnasium.
What is not in doubt, according to reports in the Russian state-sponsored news agency RIA Novosti, is that the proceeds from the 2010 sale have been frozen by a court order, which alleges that Ms Bullock and her associates are at the heart of a major fraud scandal in her native Russia, allegations she strenuously denies. From her home in New York, Ms Bullock is fighting all of the allegations with counter-litigation, claiming they are all part of a plot by business enemies to steal her assets from her
Full story Independent.
