A Russian court has confiscated property and several foreign bank accounts belonging to self-exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who died in Britain in March, an unidentified individual close to the situation said Wednesday.
All operations linked to Berezovsky's assets and foreign accounts have been ceased in accordance with the ruling, Interfax reported.
The total value of the assets runs into millions of rubles, the unidentified individual said.
Russia has continued to search for Berezovsky's assets since the businessman's death. In August, a court in Belgrade, Serbia, froze seven enterprises that were reportedly part of Berezovsky's estate at the request of Russian prosecutors.
Berezovsky made his fortune in the early 1990s when Russia went through a period of economic decline following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent privatization of state property. Berezovsky was a staunch critic of Russia's new elite and frequently clashed with Vladimir Putin after the latter was elected president in 2000. He decided to stay in Britain in 2000 after Russia brought a number of charges against him that resulted in asset freezes and a reduction in wealth. He was granted political asylum in Britain in 2003.
His shrinking fortune was slashed further in 2012 when his former business partner Roman Abramovich successfully sued him for $6 billion.
Britain's High Court said in July that Berezovsky may well have been insolvent, but the subsequent asset seizures have cast doubt on that supposition.
The exact makeup of his estate remains unclear and attempts to establish control over it have led to legal wrangling.
On March 23, 2013, Berezovsky was found hanged in his Berkshire home. British police said Berezovsky had committed suicide as that the autopsy showed no signs of violent struggle.
