“Associated with a person…”
Britain freezes Abramovich’s fortune
03/10/2022, 11:19 am
Roman Abramovich is said to be close to Vladimir Putin, for which the oligarch is now being sanctioned by the British government. The Chelsea FC owner is said to have benefited from concessions made by Putin and the Russian government.
The British government has put Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and six other Russian oligarchs on the sanctions list. Among other things, the head of the Russian oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin, was put on the sanctions list and their assets were frozen, the government said. Abramovich announced last week that he wanted to sell Chelsea.
Abramovich was “linked to a person who is involved in the destabilization of Ukraine” and who “threatens the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,” the government said in its justification for the move, “namely with Vladimir Putin with whom Abramovich had had a close relationship for decades. This association involved obtaining a financial or other material benefit from Putin and the government of Russia.” The 61-year-old denies being close to Putin.
Despite this, Abramovich’s assets are frozen and transactions with British private individuals and companies are prohibited. He was also given a travel and transport ban. “There must be no safe havens for those who supported Putin’s vicious attack on Ukraine,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson was quoted as saying.
Abramovich “like all oligarchs in a panic”
Chelsea are given a license for the time being so that “football-related activities” can continue. The government said the intention was to prevent the sanctions from damaging the football club. By allowing Chelsea to continue playing their games, you protect the Premier League, football as a whole, loyal fans and other clubs. The license is checked regularly.
Abramovich recently announced that he wanted to sell the club after almost 20 years. He had previously given up the leadership of the Champions League winner. The move was in response to calls for sanctions against him, which now come into effect ahead of the Chelsea sale. The planned sale has been stopped for the time being.
Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss reported last week that the club would be offered. “Abramovitch is currently trying to sell all his villas in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly,” Wyss told the Swiss newspaper “Blick”.
“I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.” He will check this for four to five days, and he does not yet know the exact selling price. “Like all the other oligarchs, he’s in a panic,” Wyss emphasized, since the Russian is “one of Putin’s closest advisers and friends.”
Not yet on the EU sanctions list?
The British government writes in the justification for Abramovich’s place on the sanctions list that the entrepreneur has received concessions from Putin and the Russian government in the form of “tax breaks for companies associated with Abramovich, the purchase and sale of shares from and to the state and the contracts received in the run-up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The EU also announced on Wednesday that it would impose sanctions on 14 more oligarchs. However, a diplomat told Reuters that Abramovich was not on that list.
At the end of February it was reported that Abramovich wanted to try to help de-escalate the conflict at the request of Ukraine. “I can confirm that Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side and asked for support to find a peaceful solution. And since then he has been trying to help,” became a spokesman for Abramovich quoted. “Considering what is at stake, we ask for your understanding that we have not commented on the situation or his involvement. Thank you,” the statement continued.