The son of a murdered Ukrainian tycoon has been arrested in Barcelona, accused by Italian authorities of orchestrating his father’s kidnapping and death in Milan. Igor Adarich, 34, was detained by Catalan police on Friday morning in the city’s elegant Eixample district on the authority of a European Arrest Warrant.
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The arrest is the culmination of a month-long, cross-border investigation into the death of his father, Oleksandr Adarich, a prominent figure in Ukraine’s financial and investment sector. The elder Adarich died on 23 January after falling from the window of a flat in central Milan.
A Deadly Business Trip
According to the Milan Prosecutor’s Office, which issued the warrant, the events began when Igor Adarich allegedly lured his father to the Italian city under the pretext of a business meeting. Once inside a flat on Via Nerino, in the heart of Milan, investigators believe Oleksandr was held against his will.
The motive, authorities allege, was financial. Igor is accused of attempting to force his father to transfer €250,000 in cryptocurrency to a digital wallet under his control. The investigation, first reported in Catalonia by El Caso, suggests the situation turned violent. An examination of the victim’s body revealed marks on his wrists consistent with being bound, reinforcing the theory of a violent kidnapping to obtain access codes to his digital assets.
A Suspicious Fall and a False Report
Investigators from Italy’s Polizia di Stato believe Igor Adarich was the only other person present when his father fell from the window. They have not ruled out the possibility that the victim was already dead or unconscious before the fall, suspecting his son had a direct role in his death.
Following the incident, Igor Adarich travelled from Milan’s Malpensa Airport to Barcelona on a flight for which his father also held a ticket. Once in the Catalan capital, he reportedly attempted to cover his tracks by filing a missing person report for his father, feigning ignorance of his whereabouts. He is said to have given his family a vague account of having had “problems” in Milan, without offering a clear version of events.
Joint Operation in Eixample
Unbeknownst to him, Catalan authorities were already aware of his return. Officers from the Mossos d’Esquadra had him under surveillance, fully aware of his location and residence. The arrest on Friday was a coordinated effort between the Mossos and the Italian state police, with Italian officers travelling to Barcelona to participate.
The operation took place at his home on Carrer de Girona, near the iconic Avinguda Diagonal. It involved investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC) of the Mossos’ Barcelona Metropolitan Police Region, working in coordination with the national Service for International Police Cooperation (SCIP).
Igor Adarich now faces charges in Italy of aggravated kidnapping resulting in the death of the victim, and homicide. He is currently being held at the disposal of Spain’s Audiencia Nacional, the high court responsible for processing extradition requests. The case remains under judicial secrecy in Italy as investigators work to determine the exact circumstances of the magnate’s death.
