Tulsi Gabbard is questioned in the Senate about Pierre Louvrier’s Russian connections

The Trump-nominated head of the U.S. National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had a difficult moment during her Senate hearing, where she was asked about an affair involving the well-known Belgian businessman Pierre Louvrier. As revealed by The New York Times, last year she traveled to Rome for an event at the Vatican, paid for by his foundation. It was noted that Pierre Louvrier is connected to sanctioned Russians close to the Kremlin, such as Konstantin Malofeev. This connection was first uncovered in an investigation by Bivol after Louvrier’s attempt in 2014 to purchase the main assets of the collapsed Bulgarian bank KTB. In response to our editorial, Pierre Louvrier denied any connections to sanctioned individuals and claimed he had filed a lawsuit against The New York Times.

Putin’s Crony under Belgian Cover Took over Vivacom, Dunarit, Avionams and TV7

Businessman on FBI Watchlist

In a New York Times article from January 28 this year, it is claimed that Tulsi Gabbard traveled to the Vatican with her husband to participate in a forum organized by a “European businessman” who was on the FBI watchlist. Because of this trip, Gabbard also came under the agency’s scrutiny, which she herself indignantly described as being included in the “terrorist watchlist.”

The Times did not publish the name of the businessman, as officials the media contacted did not explain why he was included on the FBI watchlist or whether he still remains on it.

The businessman is described as an investor in Russia, who founded a foundation and regularly organizes meetings in the Vatican between Americans, Russians, Ukrainians, and people of other nationalities.

Sen. Mark Warner speaking about Louvrier

The article prompted U.S. Senator Mark Warner, the vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to ask Tulsi Gabbard during a Senate hearing who paid for her trip to the event. It was he who revealed the name of Pierre Lоuvrier and spoke about his connections with Konstantin Malofeev, though he mispronounced the names of both.

“Na #Kiev!”

Belgian consultant and risk investment expert Pierre Lоuvrier, who settled in Russia in 2010, appeared in Bulgaria in 2014 with a thunderous announcement that he had acquired 900 million euros worth of assets from the bankrupt KTB bank. The Belgian proclaimed himself the new owner of shares in Vivacom, Dunarit, Avionams, NURTS, and the TV station TV7.

Putin’s Crony under Belgian Cover Took over Vivacom, Dunarit, Avionams and TV7

Bivol conducted an investigation into his background and discovered social media posts in which Lоuvrier expressed positive views about Russia’s annexation of Crimea and was photographed with the new Russian citizen Gérard Depardieu.

Новият телеком магнат Пиер Луврие и “новият руснак” Жерар Депардьо

In an investigative piece by journalist Hristo Grozev, other statements by Pierre Louvrier are also quoted, including a photoshopped image of him holding a weapon with the slogan “Na #Kiev!” and a photo with Igor Girkin (Strelkov), a former officer of the Russian services and a key figure in the separatist movement in Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk.

Напред към Киев!

С Игор Гиркин – Стрелков

The investigation into Pierre Louvrier also highlights his connections with Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeev through Louvrier’s CFG fund and Malofeev’s Marshall Capital fund, as reported in the authoritative Russian business newspaper “Vedomosti.”

At the time, Pierre Louvrier sent a response to our editorial denying any relationships with Malofeev or other sanctioned individuals, as well as any support for Russian interests.

However, Louvrier’s enthusiastic posts celebrating Russia’s annexation of Crimea are still available on social media.

Following the revelation of these Russian connections, Louvrier’s deal for strategic assets like Vivacom, Dunarit, Avionams, and NURTS fell through. The Bulgarian Prosecutor’s Office opened a case against him and froze his shares in Luxembourg, likely after the intervention of Delian Peevski and another Russian group around VTB Bank, who also wanted the assets of KTB. Eventually, Louvrier abandoned the deal and returned the shares to Tsvetan Vassilev.

A few years later, this deal once again attracted media attention after the prosecution arrested the head of the “Russophiles” movement, Nikolai Malinov, for espionage in favor of Russia. Among the documents seized from his home was a report in which it is stated that the acquisition of Vivacom, Dunarit, Avionams, and NURTS was specifically arranged with Malofeev.

“In order to create an adequate economic base for our activities, we took action to transfer assets worth over one and a half billion euros from the former Bulgarian banker Tsvetan Vassilev to the Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeev. These assets should not fall into Bulgarian hands because the Bulgarian state, with all its power, would obstruct their control and use. Contact with Konstantin Malofeev was made on the recommendation of Igor Shogalev and General Leonid Reshetnikov.” – the report states, detailing the assets: Vivacom, Dunarit, Avionams, and TV7.

It is unclear to whom this report is addressed, but the intentions behind this investment are obvious:

“We believe that under the current price levels and with the approval of Konstantin Malofeev’s group, ‘VIVACOM’ could remain under the control of a Russian strategic investor for a price up to 800-850 million euros for the entire company, which is 200-400 million euros below its actual market value. Additionally, the fact that the company’s assets include the largest satellite station in Bulgaria – PLANA – covering an area from the western coast of Africa to the Far East, as well as the entire television and telecommunications infrastructure in Bulgaria, including about 850 TV towers, should not be overlooked.”

“The latter is of particular importance for the Kremlin’s strategic plans, as this infrastructure also controls the air traffic control system, including NATO military aircraft. Thus, the Russians can learn more about their characteristics, planned repairs, and other valuable information,” commented a military intelligence expert for Bivol.

Although Pierre Michel Louvrier’s name does not appear in this report, it is clear that it pertains to the same deal. And if the document is authentic, though it has not been confirmed by the Bulgarian court, it appears that Louvrier’s role was not that of a real investor but of a proxy to conceal the true buyer—Konstantin Malofeev.

Louvrier: “Defamation! A disgrace to journalism and U.S. intelligence. Do not publish my name.”

When asked for a comment regarding his connections with Malofeev, Pierre Louvrier responded that he was the target of a defamation campaign and had filed lawsuits against the media outlets disseminating this information.

“I have no ties, and never had, to any sanctioned entity or individual. I never had ties with him. In fact, I sued him when he tried to raid my acquisitions in Bulgaria, and I filed a criminal complaint against him and his lackeys. This campaign at the time linking me to him has then been evidenced as paid by the Bulgarian maffia which was not happy with the acquisitions I made there, which I canceled due to the toxic environment, and Vassilev’s misrepresentations.”

It is a fact that media outlets connected to the oligarch Delian Peevski, who is sanctioned for corruption under the Magnitsky Act, extensively covered Bivol’s revelations about Louvrier’s sympathies for Russian imperialism and his business relations with Malofeev. On the other hand, the documented Russian connections are undeniable. The takeover of strategic enterprises from KTB’s portfolio became a battleground for at least two Russian factions close to the Kremlin, who, through proxies, sought to take control of them. In this battle, it can be said that the interests of VTB prevailed, aligning with those of Delian Peevski in his conflict with Tsvetan Vassilev.

When asked to provide information about lawsuits and criminal complaints against Malofeev, Louvrier responded that his lawyers are “gathering an extensive dossier with all the evidence on this matter,” but did not provide further specifics.

“I have all evidence that I entered in good faith in Bulgaria, exactly at the moment I had decided to stop investing in Russia, due to the first sanctions. Out of all other international financial institutions who stayed in Russia until its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, I was one of the first to leave Russia… in 2014.” – he emphasized.

Belgian consular document

There is some discrepancy with reality here, as Louvrier officially had an address in Moscow at least until March 2015, as evidenced by a document available in the Pandora Papers, which Bivol examined. The certificate from the Belgian embassy in the Russian capital shows that Louvrier settled there in 2010 and still had an address in Moscow as of March 2015. This document was presented during the registration of one of his many offshore companies.

Lobbyist for Peace, But Whose?

Louvrier’s appearance in Rome as an organizer of events attended by high-ranking Americans marks a new chapter in his career, which, after 2016, is associated with Groupe Clementy – a firm specializing in restructuring businesses and investments under special circumstances.

Moreover, the businessman presents himself as a lobbyist for peace between Russia and Ukraine. “Convinced that peace is not only possible but also necessary in Ukraine, Pierre Louvrier continues to play a discreet role in seeking a solution for this country in Central Europe,” his Wikipedia French page states.

The Vatican conference, which Tulsi Gabbard was invited to, is part of these efforts. Louvrier’s ties to the Holy See stem from his work with the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, where he helped create a program for managing the Catholic Church’s economic assets.

However, critics of the Belgian businessman have not forgotten his sympathies for Russian imperialism and believe that these activities are a form of soft power directed by the Kremlin, pushing narratives of peace but under Moscow’s conditions.

In Bulgaria or in the Vatican, Louvrier’s appearance signals turbulence. This time, all the way to the Capitol.

Headline collage: Pierre Louvrier with a weapon and the hashtag #NaKiev /Instagram/ and Tulsi Gabbard at the Senate hearing on January 30, this year.

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