The case, reported by RBC citing the court case database, names as defendants Turlov himself along with Freedom Holding Corp., Freedom Finance Europe Ltd. and B-Empirical Holding Corp. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 15.
The lawsuit falls under the category of disputes "arising from administrative and other public legal relations," and the substance of the claims is not disclosed in the court materials.
Freedom Holding's press service said it does not understand the basis of the claims. According to the holding's representatives, the company has no assets in Russia and does not conduct business there. The company said it will look into the matter and sees no significant risks to its operations.
Turlov was born in Moscow but renounced his Russian citizenship in 2022 and obtained a Kazakh passport. By that time he and his family had already lived in Kazakhstan for more than a decade.
Turlov founded Freedom Holding in 2008 while still a student. After Russia's full-scale war with Ukraine began, the company sold its Russian assets, which were renamed Tsifra Broker and Tsifra Bank. Freedom Holding now operates in 22 countries, including Kazakhstan, the United States, the EU, Uzbekistan and Armenia.
Forbes Kazakhstan estimates Turlov's fortune at $5.2 billion and ranks him sixth on its list of the country's 75 richest businessmen. In 2021 he first appeared on the global Forbes list with a fortune of $2.1 billion.
On September 26, Turlov was elected president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), succeeding former Russian deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich, who has been placed under European Union sanctions.