Mysterious Hungarian billionaire interested in 20 million Euro villa next to Putin’s alleged mansion

Just half an hour’s drive from Marbella is La Zagaleta, one of the most exclusive villa parks not only in Spain but in all of Europe. Surrounded by a fence, protected by armed security guards, with golf and tennis courts, riding stables, helipads and other fancy features, the 900-hectare site is home to around 200 luxury villas. According to a Spanish real estate agency, a Hungarian billionaire is also interested in a building in La Zagaleta, which is now being advertised for 20 million Euros. We asked several Hungarian billionaires who may be interested in the villa.

Discretion is of course the most basic service La Zagaleta offers to the super-rich who chose to buy property there. However, rumors exist that Beyonce, David Beckham, George Clooney, Hugh Grant, Rod Stewart and even Vladimir Putin have all bought properties in the Spanish villa park. Most recently, according to the Spanish realtor, a Hungarian billionaire is also planning to purchase a 1,700-square-metre, 7-bedroom, 9-bathroom modern mansion – the prospective buyer’s identity remains a mystery.

La Zagaleta is a vast piece of land in Southern Spain, near the small town of Benahavis.

In the 1980s, the land was known as Baraka (blessing) and was the hunting estate of Adnan Khashoggi,

the notorious Saudi arms dealer known for his opulent lifestyle. However, in 1990, the Spanish state confiscated the land from Khashoggi as a tax debt and sold it at auction. The 9 million square meters of land was then bought by the late Spanish-Swiss banker Enrique Perez Flores who renamed it La Zagaleta, which means young (shepherd) girl in Spanish. The following video shows an aerial footage of the land:

The exclusive villa park is fenced and protected by armed guards, has several golf and tennis courts, a riding stables, staff on call 24 hours a day and, of course, a helipad for the convenience of its wealthy residents.

A few days ago, a Spanish real estate agency, Drumelia, published the first part of its Talks podcast series, in which Drumelia’s owner and CEO Artur Loginov, promoted the La Zagaleta villa complex. In it, Loginov talked about 10 billionaires who were interested in a luxury villa that costs 20 million Euros: 2 Austrians, 1 Norwegian, 1 German, 1 American, 1 Hungarian, 1 Mexican, 1 Swede, 1 Nigerian and 1 Indian.

Aerial view of Casa Valentino (photo: drumelia.com)

Who could it be?

Lőrinc Mészáros, Hungary’s richest man, is of course the first suspect – especially considering that he has been seen visiting the Spanish seaside town for years. Moreover, the football team he manages, Puskás Akadémia regularly goes to training camps in Marbella.

The Spanish realtor also mentioned that the prospective buyers’ wealth ranges from 1.2 billion to 42 billion Euros. According to yearly publication by Perche Kft., “The 100 richest Hungarians”, Lőrinc Mészáros’s wealth is over 3,556 billion Euros, well within the range mentioned in the podcast.

We asked Lőrinc Mészáros’s press office if he was the Hungarian billionaire who viewed luxury villa and, and if so, was he convinced to buy the property, but we did not get a reply.

We also contacted the press officer of Hungary’s second richest man, Sándor Csányi (2,05 billion Euros) and Mészáros’ business partner, László Szíjj (0,93 billion Euros, 6^th richest person in the country) about the property. Only Csányi’s press officer responded, saying that it was not the OTP president who was interested in the Spanish luxury villa. Szíjj did not respond, but he is unlikely to be the buyer as his wealth is lower than the range specified.

The properties in question, is advertised as “a unique luxury mansion with panoramic views” by Drumelia for 19.9 million Euros. Built in 2015, the 1700 square meter villa is set on a 4651 square meter plot. It has 7 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, plus a gym, games and cinema room, spa, swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, wine cellar and a garage for six cars.

Photos of the interior of Casa Valentino (photo: drumelia.com)

The villa was designed by Tobal Architects and furnished by Taylor Interiors. Furnishings include Smania, Fendi, Manutti, and Technogym furniture, as well as Bang & Olufsen TVs and speakers. It also has a kitchen-two-bedroom-living-room-bathroom apartment, where you can accommodate (not so close) friends or staff.

The photos and brochure available on the Drumelia website give an idea of the size of the property: the games room alone, with pool tables and the like, could fit an average apartment. The basement swimming pool could house a whole school group.

Armed guards, helipad

The mysterious Hungarian euro billionaire is probably not only enchanted by the luxury of Casa Valentino, as he can buy similar villas almost anywhere who can afford it. But the fact that the property is located in a quasi-special small town with armed guards to keep order and guard access to the property is certainly a bonus. This precludes tourists or curious journalists from accidentally strolling by and taking photos or videos of the owner relaxing.

The exclusivity of La Zagaleta is precisely this: super-rich property owners can hide in plain sight, with the utmost discretion provided by the complex and its staff. Of course, this comes at a price: Casa Valentin, which is being viewed by the mysterious Hungarian billionaire, is being advertised by Drumelia for 19.9 million Euros, but the prospective owner will also have to pay:

• 1,393 million Euros in “transfer” taxes,
• 159,000 Euros in lawyers’ fees,
• almost 16,000 Euros in notary fees,
• almost 8,000 Euros in registration fees,
• and around 4,000 Euros in bank fees.

In other words, 21.480 million Euros will have to be spent on the purchase of Casa Valentino, and the owner of the villa will then have to pay 10,559 Euros in property taxes to the local Spanish municipality and 2,290 Euros in monthly common charges to the La Zagaleta residential complex to cover the professional staff, security and stables. In addition, the buyer may buy a membership for the complex’s golf courses, which costs 100,000 Euros per year.

Putin’s neighbors

At the center of the golf club is 500-square-metre clubhouse was the home of Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who owned the La Zagaleta site before 1990. The parties hosted here earned him the nickname “the Great Gatsby of the Middle East”.

The property was bought around 2010-2012 by a consortium of six people and has since been home to Club de Campo La Zagaleta, with golf courses and a membership fee of 100,000 Euros.

The consortium that runs the golf club is said to have some connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Unconfirmed reports claim that

the largest and most expensive villa in La Zagaleta, the Roca del Rey (‘the King’s Rock’) is owned by Putin through an intermediary.

The name is no coincidence: the villa sits on top of a hill in the south-west of the luxury residential area, which is strategically located and offers panoramic views – it is said to offer views of Gibraltar and the coast of Africa.

A bird’s-eye view of Roca del Rey — source: Google Earth

Allegedly, Putin bought the predecessor of the mansion (through a strawman) for over 15 million Euros in 2012, had it demolished and built what is now La Roca del Rey. Today, the property is estimated to be worth 45-50 million Euros.

Completed in 2015, the new building stands on an 18,000 square metre plot of land, with a floor area of 6,000 square metres. It has 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool, jacuzzi, cinema room, piano bar, private helipad, a 245 square metre outdoor swimming pool and a garage that fits 22 cars. The southern slopes of the plot are said to be planted with Pingus vines, which are used to make wine in the villa’s cellar.