His charitable organisation is reported to have offered a two billion euro fee to lawyers to win the case, but Moscow’s legal experts show no desire to take it on.
Vadim Lyalin, a customs affairs expert, said: ‘The shipper didn’t specify a recipient. This is rather odd. It suggests that something is wrong with the cash.
‘Surely someone would have claimed the cargo from the very beginning. It remains unknown who exactly did so.
‘Probably, there was a certain plan how this cash was supposed to cross the Russian border since no-one with any sense would send such money to “nowhere”.
‘Something must have gone wrong, and “Mr X” failed to receive the cargo. After a number of failed attempts to collect the cash, it was decided to act via a foundation.
‘This is a common money laundering practice.’