Pop singer Larisa Dolina has been compelled to leave her previous apartment in Moscow due to a court order, bringing to a close a protracted dispute over what has been described as a fraudulent sale of the property that unsettled the housing market in Russia.
“The keys have now been returned to us. All individuals have been removed from the residency list,” stated Svetlana Sviridenko, the attorney for the purchaser, Polina Lurye, in a comment to Interfax news agency.
Lurye, a 34-year-old businesswoman, acquired the five-room apartment located in Moscow’s upscale Khamovniki area from Dolina in 2024. It was later revealed that the 70-year-old performer had been tricked by con artists posing as agents of the FSB into parting with her property.
Interestingly, the fraudsters had also contacted Lurye, who, unaware of the deceit, transferred 112 million rubles (approximately $1.4 million) to them for Dolina’s apartment.
The ensuing legal battle between Lurye and Dolina over the rightful ownership of the apartment garnered significant media attention in Russia for several months, with three courts initially siding with Dolina.
These rulings, which allowed Dolina to retain her apartment, created a situation known as the “Dolina effect,” raising concerns that property sellers might be able to abscond with both the sale proceeds and the property itself. Legal cases stemming from similar incidents have surged by as much as 20% over the past year.
However, in December, the Russian Supreme Court determined that Lurye was the legitimate owner of the apartment, marking a notable victory for individuals lacking connections within the Kremlin’s judicial framework.
In a recent update, Sviridenko announced that she had filed an eviction request on behalf of her client, as Dolina failed to vacate the contentious apartment by the specified deadline amidst reports of her being on vacation in the United Arab Emirates.
Additionally, a Moscow court sentenced three men and one woman to prison terms ranging from four to seven years in connection with orchestrating the scam involving both Dolina and Lurye.
