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'Putin's Palace' architect won't return to Italy to face trial for variety of financial crimes

2023-01-13T12:10:00-05:00

Lanfranco Cirillo, an Italian art collector who designed a mysterious 18,000 sq. m Black Sea mansion supposedly built for the Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be tried in absentia by an Italian court on financial charges next month. In an interview published by the ANSA news agency on Friday, the architect said that he currently resides in Moscow and claimed that an Interpol Red Notice effectively prevents him from returning to Italy to defend his name.

As reported by The Art Newspaper, Cirillo is being investigated for an array of crimes, including fraudulent tax returns, money laundering, the illegal transfer of funds, and for violating the code of protection of cultural heritage.

Last year, Italian officials raided Cirillo’s villa near Brescia for failing to pay a €50m tax bill, which resulted in the seizure of assets worth $144 million, including jewels, cash, and approximately 150 artworks by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, and Wassily Kandinsky.

Cirillo claims that he was advised not to travel to Italy because of an Interpol Red Notice request that calls for his arrest pending extradition. His trial is set to open on February 23rd.

The 'Putin's Palace' architect allegedly owes Italy a massive tax bill

2022-03-30T17:20:00-04:00

Lanfranco Cirillo, the designer of a mysterious 18,000 sq. m mansion on the Black Sea that many believe was built for the Russian President Vladimir Putin, is being investigated by the Italian authorities for allegedly failing to pay a €50m tax bill. Officials raided the 63-year-old Italian architect’s own sizeable villa in February, where they discovered and confiscated a treasure trove of works by artists including Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, [and] Wassily Kandinsky.

The architect’s private helicopter was also confiscated by Italian authorities, who have been on a tear as of late, seizing yachts and other luxury items from Russian nationals associated with President Vladimir Putin.

Cirillo is well known as the man behind the biggest gem in Putin’s sizable real estate portfolio. In a popular video released in January of last year, imprisoned activist Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation detailed the opulence of the massive 191,000-square-foot Itialiante compound, which reportedly cost around $1.4 billion to construct.

A supposed floor plan for the palace. Image courtesy Alexei Navalny via YouTube

Despite a direct offer of citizenship from Putin, Cirillo has been residing in his native country for the past several years, bouncing in between his own ornate villas and collecting blue-chip art as he enjoys retirement.

“Like 92–93 percent of Russia’s population, I love our president, and I think he is the right man in the right place in the cu...

Interview with the man who designed Putin's (allegedly) billion dollar palace

2021-02-28T14:42:00-05:00

Architecturally speaking, it’s not the biggest or best project I made. It’s nice neoclassicism – that’s what was asked for. As an architect, I build what the customer wants...But aesthetically speaking, it is very correct considering historical proportions. It is not kitsch...It's not overdone, but naturally it is rich, as it was supposed to be. And we used fantastic materials. I was proud of my job.

Christian Esch chatted with Lanfranco Cirillo an architect who has spent decades providing Moscow’s super rich with villas and Italian-inspired designs.