(ANSA) - PARIS, MARCH 20 - France has frozen on its territory, following the war in Ukraine, about 850 million euros of assets belonging to Russian oligarchs - yachts, apartments, bank accounts - as reported today by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, who also recalled the block of 22 billion assets of the Russian central bank.
"We have frozen 150 million euros of private accounts, credit lines in France, in French institutions," LeMaire told RTL and LCI TV microphones.
Furthermore, "we have immobilized real estate on the French territory for 539 million euros, equal to about thirty properties or apartments, and blocked two yachts for 150 million euros", the minister specified.
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A freezing of assets means - continued the minister - that the owners can no longer "have the use" of the assets themselves, nor "resell or monetize them".
On the other hand, he continued, the goods "cannot be seized, that is, the state cannot become the owner and then resell them. To have a sequestration, there must be a criminal offense".
"Sanctions are bad for Russia, bad for the Russian state, bad for Vladimir Putin", insisted Le Maire, recalling that 22 billion euros of assets of the Russian Central Bank were also frozen.
(HANDLE).
