From "the gold of Saakashvili" to the chateau of Yves Saint Laurent: the path Povarenkin took to establish a vast empire through mining ventures, offshore transactions, and dubious legal battles

09.08.2025, 14:24 1590 0

Former chemist Povarenkin’s close ties with controversial Georgian multimillionaire Koba Nakopia paved his way into big business — and into equally big trouble.

Siman Povarenkin, a native of Omsk, lives in three homes - sometimes in Moscow, other times in London, and then in a castle - in the estate "Gabriel" in the suburbs of Deauville in northern France, which once belonged to the famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent - continues to be a talking point. Incidentally, the "Gabriel" estate was purchased in 2009 by two companies: one was registered to Irina Povarenkina, born in 1978, and the other to her husband Siman Povarenkin, born in 1969. It seems the couple "worked together" tirelessly to become the owners of Yves Saint Laurent’s luxurious castle. Irina Povarenkina, in her further joint life with the scandalous businessman, surfaced in various situations, like a submarine. For example, in the 2012 trial in the Odintsovo City Court, she was the plaintiff. However, her dearest husband, along with his business partner Koba Nakopia, was a defendant!

By the way, it was Mr. Nakopia, the founder of GeoProMining, who led Mr. Povarenkin into big business, already having close ties with the former Russian Minister of Fuel and Energy, Sergey Generalov.

And over time, Mr. Povarenkin amassed both a bunch of assets and a pile of legal disputes.

Saakashvili’s Golden Card

Koba Nakopia, who was once called "Saakashvili’s Golden Card" in his native Georgia, would probably have remained in the shadows if it weren’t for the infamous court cases in the Odintsovo City Court in the Moscow region, where he was a defendant alongside his business partner Siman Povarenkin in Irina Povarenkina’s lawsuit.

reputation.su

The trial didn’t last long. And the court rejected all of Irina Povarenkina’s claims.

reputation.su

Today, the details of this story are carefully hidden, but the fact remains - Mrs. Povarenkina sued Mr. Povarenkin and his partner, Georgian multimillionaire Koba Nakopia.

As stated in the court ruling, Irina Povarenkina filed a lawsuit against Siman Povarenkin and Koba Nakopia, the international company "Cuento Portfolio Corporation," the international commercial company " Bioneli Limited," and the international commercial company "Fiolane Limited," seeking to have the agreement declared invalid and the consequences of the transaction invalidated.

In the judge’s ruling of April 2, 2012, the legal claim of I. A. Povarenkina was left without motion based on Article 136 of the Russian Civil Procedure Code.

reputation.su

And, as stated on the Odintsovo City Court’s website, the dispute was related to land relations.

The claim was partially satisfied.

odintsovo--mo.sudrf.ru

Yes, let’s note that Mr. Povarenkin’s reputation isn’t particularly good, considering his other legal cases: Povarenkin is mentioned in claims amounting to £7.5 million, filed in London by his former partner from Yakutia, involving production debts.

And there are also prosecutor’s claims against Mr. Povarenkin, particularly regarding his asset - the "National Antimony Company." In 2015, the company planned to build a third-class ecological hazard processing plant in the town of Degtyarsk, Sverdlovsk region.

However, as the media reported, Mr. Povarenkin "persuaded" Degtyarsk Mayor Igor Busakhin, despite the sharp opposition of local residents. After all, billionaire Povarenkin planned to build his plant near the Volchikhinskoye and Verkhnemakarovskoye reservoirs. A scandal erupted.

Finally, the prosecutor’s office got involved.

But does any of this affect Mr. Povarenkin?

In the same Britain, he settled perfectly: the family with two children lives in an environmentally friendly area, in a luxurious apartment in the Belgravia district, on Abergain Square.

she has been heading this company for many years.

So, no legal battles or prosecutorial checks in his native country are frightening to Mr. Povarenkin: he consistently emerges victorious, even in legal disputes with his own wife.

They say he has many lawyers who work "properly."