A Russian oligarch whose death sparked a family feud over his £3bn fortune may have to be exhumed as his glamorous mistress seeks to prove that he fathered her baby daughter.
‘Cement king’ Oleg Bourlakov, 72, died of Covid in June and his wife and sister are in a legal battle over a contested will, with his vast riches and an iconic 350ft solar-powered superyacht at stake.
The matter is being considered by courts in Monaco and London.
But now Boourlakov’s mistress, Sofia Shevtsova, 27, has joined the fray with a lawsuit of her own in St Petersburg seeking to prove her one-year-old daughter Nicole was his.
Sofia Shevtsova, 27, (pictured) has launched a lawsuit in St Petersburg to prove that ‘Cement king’ Oleg Bourlakov, 72, was tha father of her one-year-old daughter
Sofia’s action may lead to a demand to exhume his body in Canada as part of the paternity claim, say reports.
But there may be other legal applications to dig up Bourlakov’s remains to verify the cause of death, after claims his food had been spiked with arsenic.
Russian authorities were already looking into a failed 2018 assassination plot when he was hit by bullets in his Cadillac Escalade.
Kommersant reported that he told the state investigators that he believes the incidents are connected to his divorce.
Shevtsova is a graduate of one of Russia’s most prestigious universities – Moscow State Institute of International Relations, known as MGIMO, the top training school for spies and diplomats, according to her social media.
Bourlakov (pictured), who died from Covid in June, was survived by his sister and wife. They are currently fighting over a will. The dispute involves his immense wealth and a 350-foot superyacht powered by solar energy.
The billionaire met her when she paid for her education at a Moscow 5-star Hotel. After that, she joined the Bombardier Global 5000 flight crew, Russian accounts show.
The relationship is reported to have infuriated Bourlakov’s Canada-based widow Loudmila, 70, the daughter of a top Soviet security apparatchik, and a divorce was underway but not completed when he died in Moscow’s elite Lapino clinic in Moscow before his body was flown to Toronto for burial.
Loudmila and the couple’s two daughters, Elena, 48, who lives in Canada, and London-based Veronica, 36, allege Loudmila was the victim of ‘fraud on an epic scale’ to swindle her out of a fair share of the fortune accrued during 47 years of marriage.
The estate includes £150 million super yacht Black Pearl named after the Pirates Of The Caribbean ship.
Bourlakov had sought to hide assets from his wife by claiming they were invested in a business partnership with his sister Vera’s husband Nikolai Kazakov, it is claimed.
Sofia’s action may lead to a demand to exhume his body in Canada as part of the paternity claim, say reports
Loudmila was the only beneficiary in his 2004 will, but he died and a new one was apparently made.
London’s High Court has received notification that the second handwritten will left the whole estate, including Black Pearl Yacht to the Kazakovs.
His wife and daughters are contesting the new will in court in Monaco, where Bourlakov also owned a £75 million house, arguing the document is ‘a forgery and/or invalid’.
London: The Kazakovs contest this claim, saying Loudmila is illegally looking for assets from their long-term marriage.
Bourlakov ‘contended until his death’ that his estranged wife along with her daughters had ‘defrauded’ him and the Kazakovs ‘in anticipation of the marital breakdown’, argued James Willan QC, representing the Kazakovs earlier this month.
She had gained control over assets worth billions for which she had been her husband’s nominee, it was claimed.
Bourlakov had not publicly acknowledged Shevtsova’s child as his before his death, according to Stanislav Danilov, lawyer for the immediate family of the deceased mogul.
‘He did not state himself as the father. On the birth certificate, he does not appear as the father, there is just empty space and the plaintiff doesn’t even try to hide this,’ he told Forbes Russia.
Despite this, the mistress – who was 45 years younger than Bourlakov – is due to go to court in Russia seeking to establish her daughter’s right for a share of the deceased magnate’s fortune.
Moscow media observers have observed the unfolding drama with humor.
Bourlakov’s estate includes £150 million super yacht Black Pearl named after the Pirates Of The Caribbean ship
‘How much Lyudmila Bourlakova was interested in her husband during his lifetime is difficult to judge – but in the fight for his body, she spared no effort,’ reported Russian news outlet Versia.
Describing a ‘funeral battle’ the publication added: ‘He did not keep in touch with his family.
‘Oleg Bourlakov moved his wife and two daughters to Canada back in the 1990s.’
This was after “unknown persons tried to kidnap them.
‘And in recent years, he had contacts with his wife mainly through lawyers.’
Bourlakov’s Canada-based widow Loudmila and the couple’s two daughters, Elena, 48, who lives in Canada, and London-based Veronica, 36, (pictured) allege Loudmila was the victim of ‘fraud on an epic scale’ to swindle her out of a fair share of the fortune accrued during 47 years of marriage
Versia said the dead billionaire’s sister Vera, 66, was in touch with Bourlakov as he lay on his death bed after contracting Covid-19.
Versia claims that the sisters fought over the responsibility of burying the tycoon.
He was finally laid to rest at the North York District in Toronto, Canada.
In the aftermath of his death, his family did not mention any tensions with his wife or divorce proceedings that she initiated in Monaco. This suggested foul play.
‘It is with deep sorrow that the Bourlakov family confirms the death of Oleg Bourlakov who passed away on 21st June 2021 in Moscow aged 72,’ it said.
Shevtsova is a graduate of one of Russia’s most prestigious universities – Moscow State Institute of International Relations, known as MGIMO, the top training school for spies and diplomats, according to her social media
‘Oleg is survived by his wife Lyudmila and two daughters Veronica and Elena. The family are mourning his loss and ask for privacy at this very difficult time.’
It added: ‘It is the family’s sincere wish that an independent international expert establish the circumstances surrounding his death after what is believed to be a brief battle with Covid-19.’
Versia referred to reports that arsenic traces were discovered in Bourlakov’s body in the past three years.
It added: ‘It is not yet known how long the body of Oleg Burlakov will be able to rest in peace in a churchyard in North America. ‘Both the sister and the wife threatened to arrange an examination of the cause of his death.’
It stated that had the body remained in Russia ‘the grave would already have been opened in order to dig this story further’.
An obituary issued by the family stressed Loudmila’s role in amassing the family fortune.
‘The Bourlakovs were married for 48 years, during which time the couple together built a considerable fortune,’ it stated.
‘The couple’s ambition and business acumen enabled them to achieve success and build the family fortune.’
In London, Mr Justice Trower is expected to rule on whether Loudmila’s deceit and conspiracy claim against the Kazakovs and others can go ahead in London.
The legitimacy of the 2019 will must be settled by the Monaco courts.