According to the newspaper Nice-Matin, the new owner of this coveted estate is Jan Koum, co-founder of the application. The billionaire American, whose megayacht Moonrise has been anchored all summer on the Côte d’Azur, reportedly shelled out nearly 65 million euros, representing one of the most beautiful sales of the Agrasc since its creation in 2010. In addition to its privileged position in Cap d’Antibes with a breathtaking view of the sea, the Château de la Garoupe, built in 1907 for an English lord, also has the privilege of having hosted Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway.
When it was put up for sale in June 2023, the Agrasc described the estate as containing a manor house and five other buildings, all set in a landscaped park of 10 hectares with a pool, jacuzzi, and tennis court. The Château de la Garoupe had been confiscated by the justice system as the proceeds of aggravated money laundering committed by an investment company (Sifi) and its manager, Jean-Louis Bordes, considered as fronts for Boris Berezovski. The French justice system, at the request of Russia, took over 10 years to unravel a web of companies and trace the money flows that were used to acquire the castle, via the company Sifi, in 1996.
Since the visits of the imperial family in the mid-19th century, the Côte d’Azur has been very popular with Russians, particularly the new rich who have acquired properties there after the fall of the USSR. In March 2013, he was found hanged, under unclear circumstances.