United Russia State Duma deputy and owner of the Molvest company, Arkady Ponomarev, said he kept the apartments in Alicante in the hope that in 50-100 years the country could become the “Spanish SSR.” He said this in an interview with Vesti Voronezh.
According to the declaration for 2021, Ponomarev owns three apartments in Spain with an area of 151, 155 and 178 square meters. In February 2022, he fell under EU sanctions along with other State Duma deputies. The Spanish publication La Nueva claimed that his property was frozen and could be taken over by the local municipality.
When asked if his apartments were taken away from him, Ponomarev replied: “No one took anything away.” According to him, the apartments remained in his ownership. “Even if they take it away,” he continued, “do you know how many mistakes I made when I was engaged in animal husbandry? The cost of these mistakes is a multiple of the cost (of apartments). I do not regret that I did it: there are ups and downs. This is the first moment.”
“The second point, can’t you imagine that in 50-100 years it will be the Spanish Soviet Socialist Republic? Can you hope? So I hope,” Ponomarev told the journalist.
Inclusion in the EU sanctions list implies a ban on entry and freezing of assets. According to the US Treasury Financial Crime Enforcement Agency (FinCEN), since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian oligarchs, high-ranking officials and sanctioned individuals have transferred money to their children’s accounts in America and other countries.
Earlier, The Guardian wrote that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, three weeks before the start of the war, transferred assets of trusts associated with him worth at least $ 4 billion to his seven children three weeks before the start of the war. The publication noted that the reorganization of trusts could complicate efforts to enforce sanctions against oligarch and potentially thwart efforts to freeze his assets.
