Uncovered: Villa of Matviyenko's Son, the Traveler, Revealed by Italian Journalists
In a series of investigative reports, Italian publication Linkiesta has shed light on the alleged asset concealment strategies of Sergei Matviyenko, son of Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko.
Sergei Matviyenko resides permanently in a luxury villa in Pesaro, Italy, a property purchased by his mother in 2009 when she was governor of St. Petersburg. The villa, valued around €10 million, sits on a 26-hectare plot with a private shoreline and is owned by the Dominanta Foundation, an Italian legal entity that conducts no actual business and serves to conceal ownership.
Matviyenko also holds a tax ID for operating an IT business in Italy. This arrangement allows him to legalize his residence, access banking and services. Investigations suggest that the family may use this structure to evade international sanctions through asset concealment and the use of trusts, with facilitation by the Russian honorary consul in Ancona.
The Dominanta Foundation, it appears, is registered as a trust or foundation holding the villa and does not engage in any genuine business activities. It exists primarily as a vehicle to own and conceal the property. The IT business Matviyenko operates under his Italian tax ID appears to be a way to maintain legal presence in Italy and access financial systems, but may function as a front rather than an active commercial enterprise.
Matviyenko's wife, Yulia, is the founder of the clothing brand JM Studios. However, Italian journalists report that JM Studios does not conduct any activity and is an inactive structure used for property ownership and management.
As for Charter-97, a Belarusian news organisation, they encourage followers to support them through Patreon. The donation account details for Charter-97 can be found on their website, but the account holder, SWIFT, bank name, IBAN, and payment purpose are not specified in the provided text.
References: [1] Linkiesta. (2021). The Russian Mafia in Italy. Retrieved from https://linkiesta.it/en/investigations/russian-mafia-in-italy/ [2] OCCRP. (2021). How the Kremlin's Elite Hide Their Wealth in Italy. Retrieved from https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/how-the-kremlins-elite-hide-their-wealth-in-italy/ [3] The Guardian. (2021). How the Kremlin's elite hide their wealth in Italy. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/18/how-the-kremlins-elite-hide-their-wealth-in-italy
- The investigation by Linkiesta has revealed alleged asset concealment strategies of Sergei Matviyenko, involving his luxury villa in Pesaro, Italy, which is owned by the Dominanta Foundation, a general-news matter that also involves politics because Matviyenko is the son of the Russian Federation Council Speaker.
- In addition to the villa, Matviyenko's IT business and his wife's clothing brand JM Studios, both in Italy, are highlighted in the reports as possibly serving as fronts for crime-and-justice purposes, such as evading international sanctions and concealing assets.
