On Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement officials were carrying out an operation on an island owned by Russian oligarch Igor Kesaev in southeastern Finland. The island of Kotasaari is on a lake in Puumala, some 120km by road from the Parikkala border crossing point.
Aki Virtanen, head of the National Enforcement Authority's special enforcement unit, confirmed to Yle that there had been a search of Kotasaari.
"During the on-site search, bailiffs looked for assets to be seized and frozen, as well as investigative material. The Authority asked the Eastern Finland Police Department for official help to support this task," Virtanen said.
Virtanen declined to reveal any other details, such as whether the operation was related to sanctions against Russia.
Earlier, the Eastern Finland Police Department confirmed to the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat that its officers were involved in an operation on the island at the request of the National Enforcement Authority, which it said would be responsible for any announcements on the case.
Arms manufacturer Kesaev was put on the EU sanctions list in April 2022 due to his links to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to Reuters, he owned about half of a plant that produced weapons for the Russian military, as well as Russia's biggest tobacco distributor. He is also alleged to have connections with the Russian security service FSB.
Surprise heliport
The billionaire bought Kotasaari, located near the Saimaa canal, in 2020.
The municipality of Puumala gave him an exceptional permit to build a 420-square-metre private villa on the island, along with a 530-square-metre guest house and a 150-square-metre staff cottage. However, an heliport that appeared on the island came as a surprise to the municipality, as it was not mentioned in the zoning plan.
A year ago, the National Enforcement Authority confiscated three Russian airplanes.
In September US broadcaster CBS reported that Kesaev, who owned a Russian arms factory, was among at least a dozen now-sanctioned Russian oligarchs who were issued so-called "golden passports" by EU member Cyprus. Between 2013 and 2020, the island nation granted citizenship – and EU access – to any foreigner who invested more than two million euros in the country.
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