"This is an unusual case," said Jean-Michel Pratre, writing a French edition of 20 Minutes. According to the official, Suleiman Kerimov is accused of fraud and violation of French tax law.

"In our country were imported from 500 to 750 million euros," he stressed. According to the prosecutor of Nice, this money went to France illegally in the form of cash. They were transported mainly in suitcases, although there were also bank transfers. French law enforcement agencies became interested in this matter in 2014. It turned out that the villa belonging to Kerimov on Cap d'Antibes near Nice is the central distribution point of this scheme.

To legalize this money and reduce the tax base, Kerimov purchased villas at a price several times lower than the market. For example, one of the villas was officially purchased for 37 million euros, whereas its former owners exhibited it for sale for 150 million euros. According to Pratra, the prosecutor's office already has documentary evidence of these frauds.

French lawyer Kerimov Kami Haari did not respond promptly to Bloomberg's request for comment. American lawyer Kerimova Paul Butler said that his client "fully complies with the relevant laws."