J. Christopher Flowers’ Harkness Mansion, which he bought in 2006 for a record price of $53million, was recently dethroned by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. At $88million, his abode in Manhattan is now the most expensive apartment in the Big Apple. It was sold by Citigroup’s former CEO, Sandy Weill and his wife Joan, who had purchased this place for $42.4million. The couple have decided to donate the proceeds of the sale to charity.
The 6,744 square feet space houses 10 rooms and has a beautiful view of Central Park. The ceilings and windows of the apartment have been built very high, giving the whole place a very grand look. This pricey purchase also has seven walk in closets, a 2,077 sq ft wrap-around terrace, and a den with a bar attached. This is not Mr. Rybolovlev’s first real estate purchase in the United States. In 2008, he purchased Maison L’Amitie, Donald Trump’s 33,000 sq ft Florida estate for an eye popping $95 million!
But the interesting bit is that he might not even be able to hold on to this property. There is trouble in paradise for the 93rd richest person in the world. He is in the middle of a divorce with his wife for 23 years, Elena, which is expected to reduce his bank balance of approximately $9.5 by around $3.5 billion. This along with a number of properties scattered all over the globe, a $112million yacht, and paintings by Paul Gauguin and Pablo Picasso could go to his wife as part of the divorce settlement.
Soon to be ex-Mrs.Rybolovlev filed a lis pendens against her husband two years ago for a Palm Beach house, which meant that the court gained jurisdiction over the property in question, after she claimed that Mr. Rybolovlev ‘has a history of secreting and transferring assets in order to avoid his obligations’. She has also accused him of serial infidelity, making things even tougher for Rybolovlev who has earlier spent 11 months in jail in 1996 for killing a local businessman before being acquitted. This was when the couple was living in Switzerland.
He is supposed to make another expensive acquisition by buying French football team AS Monaco. Rybolovlev who used to run Uralkali, Russia’s largest potash fertiliser company, wont actually be the richest resident of New York City if he happens to move here. He will occupy the fifth position after David Koch, Mayor Bloomberg, John Paulson and Ronald Perlman.
