Moscow condemns the detention of a Russian senator in France for tax evasion

Russia’s Foreign Ministry says the detention of Federation Council member Suleiman Kerimov in France is illegal, insisting that he enjoys immunity from law enforcement measures abroad as a Russian federal official. French police say they were permitted to detain Kerimov because he wasn’t in France on an official visit.

A senator and businessman from Dagestan, Kerimov was detained at the Nice airport on November 20, though it wasn’t reported until a day later. He is suspected of using shell corporations to evade taxes when he purchased luxury real estate in the French Riviera. Kerimov denies owning the real estate in question.

According to Forbes magazine, Kerimov is the 21st richest entrepreneur in Russia, with an estimated net worth of $6.3 billion.