Eloise HorsfieldTHE 4.5 million-euro mansion of a former Russian-Georgian mafia boss is being squatted by four friends.
Complete with posh statues, upholstered sofas and parquet floors – but without its original gold taps – the three-storey house in Barcelona also contains traces of the raid when police tried to capture its then occupant, mafia ‘thief in law’ Tariel Oniani, six years ago.
Oniana escaped to Russia where he was later arrested and extradited back to Spain, where he was put in prison.
While authorities generally try to use money from organised crime for causes benefitting society, no solid plans were ever made for the mansion and it has been empty since 2008.
Sam, a veteran of the French Foreign Legion, was given the tip-off by a friend that the house was empty, so thought he’d make the most of it – but seems completely unfazed by his new home’s sordid background as a nest for members of the mafia.
“They don’t scare me,” he said.
