Control of Faberge Easter eggs contested

A lawsuit has been filed against business tycoon Viktor Vekselberg and his recently acquired collection of Faberge Easter eggs, now on display in the Kremlin. Armen Rshtuni, a member of the creditors' committee of First City Bank, spoke of the legal action on Ekho Moskvy radio.

Rshtuni said the bank's managing director absconded with assets belonging to creditors and owners of the bank and that the major share of these were transferred to Alba Alliance, one of whose principals is Vekselberg.

'The USD 40 million stolen from us could be compensated by the Faberge collection,' Rshtuni declared, adding: 'After two years of intense efforts to reclaim the assets, the bank's investors and creditors filed suit in Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky Court, seeking compensation for damages and a hold on the bejeweled Faberge eggs of Vekselberg's.'