Spotlight | France
Behind the resurrection of Karl Lagerfeld's former Paris mansion

France
Bernard Arnault drops out of race to buy Karl Lagerfeld's former mansion

Initially interested in buying the Parisian building the German fashion designer called home for 30 years, LVMH's boss pulled out due to the complex nature of the deal, as well as its price being inflated by the creditors of its current owner, the state of Gabon.

France
Sale of former Karl Lagerfeld mansion held for ransom by Gabon's creditors

The sale of the Hôtel Pozzo di Borgo has ground to a standstill. Long the Paris home of German designer Karl Lagerfeld, the historic mansion, now owned by the central African state of Gabon, has garnered interest from luxury magnates, including Bernard Arnault.

France
Motley middlemen meddle in sale of Lagerfeld's long-time mansion

The sale of Paris's Hôtel Pozzo di Borgo - the former home of late designer Karl Lagerfeld now owned by Gabon - is caught in the crossfire between the central African state and its creditors, creating a free-for-all for a slew of self-styled agents.

France
Attempted seizure of Karl Lagerfeld's former Paris mansion just days before Fashion Week

Karl Lagerfeld's former mansion played host to Marni and Victoria Beckham's fashion shows, among others, during the latest Paris Fashion Week. But now a creditor of the Gabonese state, its current owner, is trying to seize the building.

Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Bernard Arnault, Félix Tshisekedi, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Laurent Gbagbo

Intrigues big and small - every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

Gabon Bernard Arnault abandons bid to buy Paris mansion

DRCTshisekedi renews relations with Moïse Katumbi

Algeria Dominique de Villepin's secret tête-à-tête with Abdelmadjid Tebboune

Ivory Coast Ex-president Laurent Gbagbo visits Paris and Brussels

Sale of Pozzo di Borgo mansion in Paris held for ransom by Gabon's creditors

The Gabonese state has seen the sale of its mansion, long the home of late German designer Karl Lagerfeld, grind to a standstill in Paris.

Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema to meet with Emmanuel Macron in May

Gabonese transition president, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, with meet with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace after France announced it would review its military presence in Libreville.

Pozzo di Borgo Parisian residence faces fresh seizure threat

A Lebanese company in dispute with the Gabonese state is attempting to seize the luxury Paris townhouse. Gabon has owned the property, which these days hosts top-flight fashion shows, since 2010.

Gabon succeeds in having arbitration forcing it to pay 90bn CFA francs to Santullo annulled

In 2019 Gabon was ordered by a Paris arbitration panel to pay the equivalent of €137m in unpaid invoices to the late Guido Santullo's Sericom construction group. On Tuesday, the country managed to have that arbitration overturned arguing that the Italian contractor had obtained its contracts by paying Gabonese officials.

Webcor joins KCI and Sericom in seeing its claims against Gabon rebuffed

Holders of unpaid Gabonese debts, who have spent the past 10 years cleaning up in arbitration tribunals, continue to press their demands in French courts. But claims of malfeasance and lack of corroborating evidence have scuppered some such efforts.

Document
Ali Bongo and Santullo come to blows over 165 billion

Three ICC judges in Paris adjudicate the dispute between Libreville and the entrepreneur Guido Santullo. The latest revelations.