The legal problems pile up for Patrick and Isabelle Balkany: after confiscating their passports, judges seized the luxurious mill in the Eure, where the deputy mayor (Republicans) Levallois-Perret and his wife reside, and sold their property in the Caribbean.
As part of the tax fraud investigation targeting the torque Balkany, investigating judges “have ordered the seizure” of Cossy mill, a four-hectare property with swimming pool, tennis court and golf green, multi-million euros and located in Giverny (Eure), said Tuesday in AFP a source close to the matter, confirming information of Charlie Hebdo.
Since they have donated to their children the 1990s, the couple Balkany are no longer owners of the residence, but retain the usufruct.
“This seizure is highly questionable,” responded Gregory Lafarge, counsel for the couple. “The judge is not entitled to revoke a donation,” he noted. Patrick and Isabelle Balkany have appealed to the investigating chamber.
Furthermore, the villa Grapefruit on the island of St. Martin in the Caribbean, seized by the court in the last few months ” has been sold, “said the source close to the case, without specifying the amount of the transaction. This residence is estimated at “about three million euros”, according to this source.
The couple Balkany, charged with “tax fraud laundering”, “corrupt” and “corruption laundering” have long denied to own them.
Placed in custody in May 2014, Isabelle Balkany had finally turned around, grateful to have this house, but she said her husband was not concerned and the property was financed by the fruit of an inheritance
-. Villa in Marrakech –
The anti-money laundering intelligence unit Bercy, Tracfin, had highlighted the Caribbean remains belonged to a series of front companies in Switzerland, Panama and Liechtenstein.
The court also questioned the origin of the money used to buy the house. It was paid in the 1990s with “perfectly lawful money”, but had “not lawfully declared” and the solidarity tax on wealth (ISF) has “not settled” according to Me Lafarge.
Investigators are also interested in another villa in Marrakech. He suspects the couple to have gained by hiding behind offshore companies and have used as a nominee of their loved one, Jean-Pierre Aubry, former general manager of the company of mixed economy planning of Levallois, the Semarelp.
The judges Renaud van Ruymbeke Patricia and Simon have indeed expanded their tax fraud investigation to asset declarations of Balkany, suspecting them of having undervalued their property as Mill Cossy and villas of Saint-Martin and Marrakech.
The legal problems of elected Levallois-Perret born revelations of a former political ally of the couple, Didier Schuller.
He was handed over to the judiciary several documents, including a certificate in 1994 opening an account in Switzerland by Patrick Balkany in the Zurich branch of the ABN-Amro bank and police reports 1998 and 2001 , the last looks at the Villa Saint-Martin.
Approached by AFP, Isabelle Balkany declined to comment, citing just a “hard” Justice and the Media against them.
Patrick Balkany had his immunity lifted parlemenaire while his wife was imposed a bail of one million euros in order not to be detained. The couple has not the right to leave the territory
8/11/2015 9:15:42 p.m.. – Paris (AFP) – By Sophie DEVILLER – AFP © 2015
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