The Nancy Court of Appeal is examining Monday the purchase of the Château de La Rochepot, the jewel of wine-growing Burgundy, an extraordinary case of money laundering and abuse of corporate assets.
At first instance, in 2022, seven defendants, including four Ukrainians, were heard to shed light on the origin of the funds used for the purchase in 2015 of the 12th century neo-Gothic fortress.
Before the court of appeal, there are only three left to appear: the Ukrainian Dmitri Malinovsky, his former driver who became manager of the castle from 2016, the Moldavian Alexandru Arman, and the ex-mistress of Dmitri Malinovsky, the 'Ukrainian Olga Kalina.
At first instance, Dmitri Malinovsky was sentenced to 4 and a half years' imprisonment, including six months suspended, for money laundering, use of forgery, possession of weapons and concealed work, as well as a fine of 100,000 euros.
His former mistress received a two-year suspended prison sentence.
Also read: Château de La Rochepot affair: Ukrainian crook convicted of money laundering
Purchased in 2015 after remaining on sale for three years
Released from the charge of concealed work and complicity in money laundering, Alexandru Arman was sentenced to 6 months for misuse of company assets, 4 of which were suspended, as well as a ban on management for 5 years.
The Château de La Rochepot was purchased in 2015 after remaining on sale for three years.
A relief for the 300 inhabitants of this postcard village.
The new buyers assured them that they would respect the premises, a condition set by the previous owner, a descendant of the President of the Republic Sadi Carnot.
But the new owners remained very discreet until December 2017, when the local daily
Le Bien Public
revealed that the craftsmen hired for the renovation project had never been paid.
The matter was then taken to court.
The castle was subsequently seized in 2018 and emptied, to the great dismay of the inhabitants of La Rochepot who saw 30,000 tourists per year visiting the building.
The appeal hearing was to take place last October but was postponed due to a priority question of constitutionality raised by one of the parties, which was ultimately not transmitted.