$50M in Fabergé Antiquities Shipped to Panama After Oligarch Hit With Sanctions
A Russian Culture Ministry-linked organization sent a $47
million package labeled “Fabergé Russia” to Panama three weeks after the United
States placed sanctions on known Fabergé enthusiast Viktor Vekselberg, the
investigative outlet The Intercept reported Wednesday.
Russia’s State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSIZO shipped
the package on April 28, 2018, to a Vekselberg-owned company in Panama, The
Intercept cited shipping industry data as saying. The U.S. slapped sanctions on
Vekselberg and other Russian oligarchs on April 6, 2018, in response to
“malign” Russian actions.
“It’s not known what precisely was in the packages marked as
antiquities, given the breadth of decorative objects produced by the House of
Fabergé,” The Intercept wrote.
Vekselberg, 63, bought nine Fabergé Easter eggs in 2004. Of
the 52 Faberge-designed imperial eggs, 46 are believed to have survived since
the 19th century.
“Indeed, the eggs may still be residing in Russia, and the
package may have been stuffed with other Fabergé valuables,” The Intercept
said.
Veselberg’s spokesperson, the Faberge Museum, ROSIZO and the
Culture Ministry did not respond to requests to identify the shipped items.
ROSIZO shipped the “Fabergé Russia” package to the address
in Panama that houses the offices of Vekselberg’s Lamesa Arts Inc.
Vekselberg was locked in a court battle for the Fabergé
brand nearly a decade ago, seeking to transfer the brand rights to Lamesa.
Forbes estimates Vekselberg’s net worth at $11.2 billion.
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