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High-security property on the Black Sea coast: According to Alexei Navalny, it belongs to Vladimir Putin
Photo:
Navalny Life / dpa
Italian tax police have seized assets worth over €141 million from an architect linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He is accused of violating Italian tax regulations, the Reuters news agency writes, citing a source familiar with the matter.
The tax police said on Wednesday that they had confiscated the assets of a "well-known businessman" in the northern Italian city of Brescia over alleged tax offences.
When asked, she declined to give the person's name.
The source said the assets belonged to Lanfranco Cirillo, who designed a grand estate on the Black Sea in Russia that became famous as "Putin's Palace."
The palace became known worldwide through research made public by imprisoned opposition figure Alexander Navalny.
The Russian President has denied any connection to the luxury property in the past.
A lawyer for Cirillo did not respond when contacted by Reuters.
In an interview with Italian television earlier this year, Cirillo claimed he designed the building in question but that it was commissioned by a private group and that he had no ties to Putin.