Chelsea owner and Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich should have his assets seized, an MP has told the government.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Labour MP Chris Bryant said he had a leaked Home Office document which suggested Abramovich should not be allowed to be based in the UK.
It showed that at the time, Bryant said, Abramovich was of interest to the government “due to his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices”.
The document, he said, cited court proceedings in which Abramovich admitted paying for political influence.
“That is nearly three years ago and yet remarkably little has been done in relation. Surely Mr Abramovich should no longer be able to own a football club in this country?
“Surely we should be looking at seizing some of his assets including his £152m home?” Bryant added.
A spokesman for Abramovich has declined to comment.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “I couldn’t comment on individuals in that way or leaked documents of that type.”
A company called USM was sanctioned by the US Government on Thursday night. However, contrary to reports, this is not the same USM connected to Everton’s major shareholder Farhad Moshiri or the one which sponsors their Finch Farm training ground.
Downing Street confirmed five further oligarchs who are particularly close to the Kremlin will be sanctioned, including Russia’s youngest billionaire and former husband of Vladimir Putin’s daughter, Kirill Shamalov, the chairman and CEO of PSB bank Petr Fradkov, deputy president of VTB bank Denis Bortnikov, general director of United Aircraft Corporation Yury Slyusar and CEO of Novikombank Georgieva Elena Aleksandrovna.
Making a statement in the Commons, Boris Johnson said that more than 100 businesses and individuals will be tackled in total, including “all the major manufacturers that support Putin’s war machine”.
Source: Skysports
