NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters) – U.S. authorities have warrants allowing them to seize two planes belonging to Russian businessman Roman Abramovich that he transferred to Russia without the necessary licenses since the adoption of the sanctions targeting Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine, a Justice Ministry official said on Monday.
The Department of Commerce has also initiated administrative proceedings against Roman Abramovich, considering that the latter remained the de facto owner of the two planes, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and a Gulfstream G650 ER, even if in February he made his two Russian children the beneficiaries of the legal entities that legally own them.
Washington clarified that the Gulfstream made an Istanbul-Moscow flight on March 12 and that the Boeing flew from Dubai to the Russian capital on March 4, so in both cases after the entry into force of restrictions on the exports decided by the United States.
The two devices being of American manufacture, Roman Abramovich should have requested a license to fly them to Russia, explains the Commerce Department.
Roman Abramovich, who denies being close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been sanctioned by both the European Union and Britain and had to sell his stake in London football club Chelsea.
(Report Luc Cohen, French version Marc Angrand)