The cunning billionaire decided to give his property to the "gardener"
Is Nikolya Pyuyesh the most cunning billionaire on the planet or just an ordinary fraudster? We will discuss who will inherit the legacy of the Hermes fashion house.
Who is Nikolya Pyuyesh?
82-year-old Nikolya Pyuyesh is the eighth generation of the legendary Terry Hermes. In 1837, Terry established his first leather goods workshop in Paris, which later became the Hermes empire. Today, the company's value has reached 230 billion euros (248 billion dollars). The brand's products are valued in society as truly luxurious gifts, and its logo and patterns can be recognized from afar.
Terry Hermes's heir, Nikolya Pyuyesh, constantly reminds us of himself: however, not with new plans for brand development, but due to financial disputes that have been ongoing for several years. Throughout his life, Pyuyesh has managed to accumulate considerable wealth — he currently owns about 5 percent of the company's shares, valued at nearly 13 billion dollars. However, the elderly billionaire has not started a family: 82-year-old Nikolya is alone, with neither a wife nor children. This is precisely why the question of who to leave his wealth to becomes increasingly urgent year by year.
Pyuyesh's son — a humble Moroccan gardener
In 2023, Nikolya comes up with a strange idea. He decides to adopt his gardener and leave all his property to him. This may seem unusual, but there are several questionable aspects to this event.
It should start with the fact that the gardener is 51 years old. In Switzerland, adopting older individuals is a rare but possible practice. Additionally, the Moroccan heir has a family and is raising two children. To avoid unnecessary publicity, his name is kept well hidden from the press — the future father takes on the task himself, astonishing the global community.
It turns out that in 2023, after a sensational statement, Nikolya hastily handed over the keys to his house in Morocco and his villa in Switzerland to the gardener.
However, it turns out that Pyuyesh signed a contract back in 2011 promising to bequeath his wealth to a charity organization. Everyone is curious about why the "adoption" was organized. However, the billionaire's strange behavior does not end there.
“A sensational fraud” or an attempt to attract attention?
Whether Nikolya enjoys legal proceedings, simply has nothing else to do, or is genuinely concerned about who will actually inherit his wealth — remains unknown. However, the next financial scandal occurs unexpectedly. Pyuyesh files three lawsuits against his financial manager Erik Freymond, accusing him of fraud related to funds.
Although Pyuyesh entrusted his accounts to Freymond in 1998, he suddenly decides to announce in the 2020s that he has been unaware of the fate of his shares for over 20 years. Nikolya calls this “a massive fraud” and describes in detail the 20 years during which Freymond concealed information, failed to return Hermes shares, and acted “cunningly” in managing charity accounts and other investments.
However, the Geneva court acquits the financial manager and emphasizes that Pyuyesh himself had expressed “blind trust” and had the opportunity to terminate the agreement at any time.
Nikolya Pyuyesh and the Qatari royal family
Until now, the fate of Nikola Pyuyesh's shares has remained unknown. Recently, it became known that a deal with the Qatari royal family has been canceled. The Swiss billionaire seems to be trying to take the place of Anna Delvy.
While the whole world thinks that the Hermes heir's funds have disappeared, Nikolya makes a profitable deal: he promises to sell his 6 percent stake to the Emir of Qatar. The shares were supposed to be transferred in February, but unexpectedly, Pyuyesh announces that he will not be able to fulfill his promise.
In response, Qatar's Honor America Capital presents a new lawsuit. Pyuyesh is accused of breaching the contract to sell his shares. The Emir's representatives are asking the court to force him to pay 1.3 billion US dollars for “lost profits, alternative costs, and damage to reputation.”
The contract and complaint letters indicate that the deal was discussed for several months and signed on February 10. A representative of Honor America Capital sent a letter to Nikolya Pyuyesh's lawyer in Switzerland, confirming that the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, had taken full financial responsibility to finalize the deal.
The Hermes heir once again decided to leave the matter as it is, claiming that he could not determine the whereabouts of the shares and thus used the “futility” of the deal as an excuse. This time, Nikolya's escape may not be so easy. However, who knows what trick the billionaire will come up with this time.
