Russia Sues Dutch Owner of Megapolis

The Russia government is seeking to suspend the corporate rights of Megapolis Distribution, the Dutch owner of Russian tobacco distributor Megapolis Group, reports Interfax.

On July 18, Russia’s Industry and Trade Ministry filed a lawsuit against Megapolis Distribution in the Arbitration Court of the Moscow Region, according to records.

The Russian company was earlier included in Russia’s list of economically significant organizations.

The court has agreed to hear the lawsuit, and the first hearing is scheduled for August 8.

Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and just before the EU imposed sanctions on him, Russian billionaire Igor Kasaev, who owns 40 percent of Megapolis, funneled €8 million ($8.71 million) through the Netherlands, according to the NL Times.

Kasaev is known to have ties to the Kremlin and the Russian arms industry. He keeps his shares in Megapolis, the largest distributor of cigarettes in Russia, in the letterbox company registered in The Hague. The sanctions froze Kesaev’s assets in his Hague company, “trapping” some €650 million in assets in the Netherlands.