Ukraine seeks to seize water company owned by billionaire family of British theatre mogul
Row centres on stake held by Patarkatsishvili family in bottled water firm it jointly owns with Russian oligarchA British theatre impresario and her billionaire family are embroile
By The Guardian
Ukraine’s asset recovery and management agency has been told to find independent management for IDS Ukraine, a bottled water company linked to the Patarkatsishvili family and Russian investors. The company is at the centre of separate Ukrainian proceedings over attempts to nationalise part or all of its ownership.
The Guardian reported that the Patarkatsishvili family holds a 34% stake in the business, which produces some of Ukraine’s biggest bottled water brands. Another 49% is held by Russian investors, including Mikhail Fridman, whose western sanctions are noted in the report.
The dispute involves the family of British theatre impresario Liana Patarkatsishvili, who the report says recently worked on an immersive show with Toby Jones and Meera Syal. The family said it believes an asset should not be taken from non-sanctioned shareholders against whom there are no allegations or concerns.
IDS Ukraine said it has operated in line with Ukrainian law and that no Ukrainian state authority has established any facts of money laundering, unlawful withdrawal of funds or similar financial activity. The company also said it was not aware of any current Ukrainian investigations into such allegations.