Man who invented the Blackberry and is still worth £460m loses £1.2m stamp duty battle with HMRC By Francine Wolfisz Published: 09:44 BST, 26 October 2024 | Updated: 09:57 BST, 26 October 2024 e-mail 2 View comments The inventor of the once much-desired Blackberry mobile device has lost a hefty £1.2million tax battle over unpaid stamp duty.
Mike Lazardis, 63, was hailed as a cutting edge tech whizz when his must-have smartphone was launched in the early Noughties. But the gadget faded into obscurity against the arrival of Apple's iPhone . Once worth about £3billion, the Greek-Canadian electrical engineer now invests in quantum computing technology and lives on a more modest £460m fortune in Hertfordshire with his wife Ophelia.
His luxurious country estate, located near the upmarket village of Cuffley and for which he paid £10.75m in February 2022, has become the subject of a tax wrangle in recent months. Mike Lazardis, 63, inventor of the once much-desired Blackberry mobile device and pictured with his wife Ophelia, has lost a hefty £1.
2million tax battle over unpaid stamp duty Lazardis' luxurious country estate, located near the upmarket village of Cuffley and for which he paid £10.75m in February 2022, has become the subject of a tax wrangle in recent months The opulent five-bedroom detached property, called Woodlands, features landscaped gardens, a heated outdoor pool and a tennis court, alongside a lake, a coach house and three self-contained cottages. An estate a.
