Finland seizes Russian real estate for Crimea annexation, while Romania exempts it from taxes

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In 2016, several Ukrainian corporations brought the Russian Federation to court, after the latter nationalized the infrastructure for gas production and transportation in the Crimean Peninsula, which it had occupied in 2014.

The Hague awarded $4.2 billion in damages in favor of Ukrainians, who have tried to enforce Russia’s debt in several countries.

In Romania, they turned to the Filip law firm.

The attorneys referred the matter to bailiff Bogdan Dumitrache, who is regarded as one of the top in the field. He filed a lawsuit meant to recognize the decision of the arbitration court, but the case was tossed like a hot potato from one court to another for a whole year.

In the end, the bailiff dropped the case without any explanation. The representatives of the law firm and the bailiff declined to give a statement to DDS reporters.

At present, there is little official information about the real estate that the Russian Federation directly owns in Romania. Most of such details is said to be included in a 1998 report, but the document is said to be classified.

In the same case, Finland, which joined NATO last year, is announcing they are confiscating 40 items of real estate.

In Romania, the Ukrainians turned to the Filip law firm and the bailiff Bogdan Dumitrache, to enforce the judgement ruled by The Hague. The case was passed back and forth between courts for a year, and eventually the bailiff gave up the enforcement.

Ten years ago, the same bailiff had worked for the Russian Federation. He had been hired to evict tenants from the building situated in the Charles de Gaulle Square (Sector 1) – owned by Vladimir Putin’s Presidential Administration and managed by a Moscow state-owned enterprise (FGUP). In the process of evicting the tenants, the Russians had also hired Romania’s former minister of Justice, the liberal Valeriu Stoica.

The Charles de Gaulle (CDG) building, which, together with another piece of property was appraised at around €20 million, has no diplomatic status, according to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to a DDS investigation, there are clues that Russia does not even pay taxes for this real estate property. The Romanian authorities are reluctant to confirm or deny the information, citing tax secrecy.

Details in the investigation below.

Bogdan Grosereanu