Dutch prosecutors seize property near Amsterdam linked to Putin son-in-law: Report

A piece of land in Duivendrecht, just outside Amsterdam, was seized from a Dutch citizen who is, or was, the son-in-law of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A specialist division of the Public Prosecution Service (OM) seized the property from Jorrit Faassen, according to a joint investigation by Dutch media outlet Follow the Money, Russian independent journalism platform Proekt, and The Guardian.

The investigative journalists analyzed records from Kadaster, the Dutch land registry, and found that the OM took the plot of land on May 12. Follow the Money reported that Faassen acquired the property on Molenkade, just outside Amsterdam, through a company named Molenkade Ontwikkeling BV, which itself is owned by Gietrin Investment Ltd. in Cyprus.

That business was tied to two brothers in Putin's inner circle, Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, who are both on sanctions lists. Former Molenkade Ontwikkeling director Thomas Grentzius, who is married to Faassen's cousin, told Follow the Money that Faassen asked him to become the company director and told him to buy the property in 2013.

Grentzius resigned a few years later out of concern for Faassen's situation. Faassen became the company director in 2019, and sold the land to himself for 450,000 euros. He applied for a permit to build a home and several offices on the property in 2021, but Duivendrecht stopped the process after stories surfaced about the connection between the property, Faassen and Putin's daughter, Maria Putina, also known as Maria Vorontsova.

These details alone might not be the reason for the asset seizure, though it likely means a criminal investigation has started, attorney Heleen over de Linden told Follow the Money. "It is of course possible that he himself is suspected of something, fraud for example. But it is also quite possible that the Public Prosecution Service suspects Faassen of helping the Rotenbergs to circumvent sanctions," she said. The OM would not comment when asked by the journalists looking into the matter.

A Proekt source also claimed that Faassen was recently stopped and questioned at Schiphol Airport as part of an investigation into the evasion of sanctions. The 43-year-old is not known to be on any European or American sanctions lists, as of Thursday. The source reportedly said that the Dutch man's laptop and phone were seized. The Marechaussee and other authorities could not confirm the incident. The Marechaussee, a branch of the military, handles security and border controls at Schiphol.

Faassen was long rumored to be married to Vorontsova, Putin's oldest known duaghter. The two were believed to have been married in 2008, with a reception held at a castle in Wassenaar. They are rumored to have at least one son together, who would be about 11 years old now, though the nature and history of their relationship has been kept under wraps.

The couple may have separated, but that remains unclear, and Faassen has denied being in a relationship with her.