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A deep-dive analysis of Jersey’s finance sector would ordinarily only attract the interest of industry and government officials, investors, investigators, and a smattering of journalists too – but the latest report can apparently count an A-list celebrity among its readership.
City A.M. reported yesterday that Brad Pitt was taking a “big interest” in the Moneyval report published last week as he continues to battle for the truth as to who he is in business with after his former partner Angelina Jolie sold half of the pair’s popular Miraval rosé wine brand, with the stake ending up in a Jersey trust.
Following the celebrity couple’s acrimonious split in 2016, Ms Jolie sold her stake in the business to Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler for $64million in 2021.
Pictured: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie owned the Chateau Miraval estate jointly, and even got married in its 17th Century farmhouse in August 2014.
Mr Pitt claimed that his ex-wife had breached an agreement that they would give each other first refusal.
Ms Jolie countered that she had offered to sell her Miraval stake to her ex-husband, but that talks fell through after Mr Pitt introduced a provision stopping her from talking publicly about events leading to the split, forcing her to look elsewhere for a buyer.
The so-called ‘War of the Rosé’ made its way into courtrooms in France, Luxumbourg and Los Angeles, reaching the British Isles when it emerged that the stake formerly owned by Ms Jolie was held in a secretive Jersey trust and that Mr Pitt was unable to find out details of who lies behind it.
The Financial Times previously reported that Mr Shefler’s company, Stoli Group, alleged that it has been frozen out of the running of Miraval by Mr Pitt.
The Jersey Financial Services Commission, which operates the island’s company register, which does not contain details of beneficial ownership, declined to comment when Express reached out earlier this year.
Pictured: The Chateau Miraval estate produces an award-winning sparkling rosé.
Following the publication of the Moneyval report last week, City A.M. yesterday reported that a source “close to” Mr Pitt said he was “taking a close interest in developments in Jersey and would welcome greater transparency in relation to the corporate structures that control the stake sold by Angelina”.
The report focused on the island’s tools and frameworks for combatting money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
While the report found the measures to be robust, with many welcoming it as a strong endorsement of the island’s credentials, it did note several areas for improvement.
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