Monaco Court of Appeal Reviews Rybolovlev-Bouvier Case, Final Decision Expected by 2025

The Advisory Chamber of Monaco's Court of Appeal reviewed the ongoing Rybolovlev-Bouvier case on December 5, concerning the validity of its investigation procedures. This legal dispute, initiated in 2015 by Dmitry Rybolovlev, Russian billionaire and the President of AS Monaco, accuses Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier of a billion-dollar fraud through overpriced art sales. A resolution might emerge by February 27, 2025, when the court is expected to make a final ruling.

In a significant development in 2016, the case expanded when a privacy invasion complaint was filed by Tania Rappo, involving a recorded conversation that Rybolovlev and his lawyer, Tetiana Bersheda, used in an attempt to link Rappo to Bouvier. This led to a far-reaching inquiry by Monaco's examining magistrate, which was later criticized by the European Court of Human Rights for violating privacy rights under Article 8, prompting Swiss authorities to drop their charges against Rybolovlev.

As the legal proceedings draw close to a conclusion, Rybolovlev’s legal team has pushed for dismissal, citing the unjust handling of evidence, particularly Bersheda’s phone records, which were central to earlier proceedings. With a prior confidential financial settlement reached between Rybolovlev and Bouvier in 2023, the forthcoming court decision in 2025 will potentially end this nearly decade-long high-profile legal saga.