Plane Melissa George tried to use to flee France owned by powerful Russian oligarch

THE plane Melissa George planned to use to flee France with her children was owned by a powerful Russian billionaire and his wife.

EXCLUSIVE

THE plane Melissa George planned to use to fly out of France with her children after a physical altercation with her former partner is owned by Russian oligarch Alexei Kuzmichev and his wife, Svetlana Kuzmicheva-Uspenskaya.

News Corp can reveal Ms George is friends with Ms Kuzmichev-Uspenskaya, who divides her time between Moscow and Paris, and has a young son.

Her husband is the founder of the Alfa Group, Russia’s largest private bank and has made a fortune in oil, banking and telcos. In 2013, Forbes magazine listed Mr Kuzmichev’s wealth at AUS $9.3 billion.

Ms Kuzmichev-Uspenskaya is a philanthropist and art collector.

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Melissa George shops with her son in Paris. Picture: Splash

In late 2014, Ms George attended a fundraising dinner and auction in New York for Ms Kuzmichev-Uspenskaya’s charity, Project Perpetual, which raised AUS $7.8 million for the United Nations to use vaccinating the world’s poorest children against disease.

On the night of September 13-14, Ms George attempted to fly out of France to the United States with her two young children and dog, but was stopped by French border police who enforced a non-fly legal order obtained by her former partner, Jean-David Blanc. The incident happened at the Paris Las Bourget airport, which caters for private jets.

It can now be revealed the jet Ms George was planning to fly on to America was owned by the Russian couple.

There is no suggestion Mr Kuzmichev or Ms Kuzmicheva-Uspenskaya had any knowledge of the no-fly order.

Ms George also says she did not know her former partner had obtained a legal order preventing the children leaving the country.

Mr Blanc and Ms George’s relationship ended after the pair were involved in a physical altercation at their Parisian apartment on September 7, and Mr Blanc was held in custody until September 9.

Melissa George's former husband Jean David Blanc. Picture: KCS Presse

His lawyer Jacqueline Laffont has accused Ms George of trying to take the children out of the country in defiance of thelegal order.

“She tried to leave in a private jet lent to her by Russian friends,’’ Ms Laffont told News Corp, adding:

“The police had the flight stopped and prevented this departure, which was imminent, despite the fact a legal order to prevent the children leaving the country had been issued.”

Ms George’s lawyer Christophe Ayela strongly denied any wrong-doing and said Ms George, an international film and TV actress, regularly travelled abroad.

“Melissa George did not know there was a travel ban concerning the children,” Mr Ayela said.

“She had the plane booked well before the September fight and we can prove it.

“It was a private plane of a female friend.

“She did not know there was a travel ban and was told that by the PAF (border police) at the moment of passport registration that she could not travel with the children.’’

Additional reporting: Rory Mulholland