The British parliament is proposing to ban Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from ownership of Chelsea FC.
Roman Abramovich is Russian, and he owns Chelsea Football
Club in the United Kingdom
The Sun newspaper in an exclusive report revealed how Roman
Abramovich withdrew his application for a UK Tier 1 investor visa in 2018 as a
result of pressure in the wake of verve gas atrocity in Salisbury, Wilts.
British Labour MP Chris Bryant, who
moved the motion, described Mr Abramovich as a person of “interest” to the Home
Office due to his ties with the corrupt actives, citing explosive security memo
about Abramovich. As a sanction he proposed that the UK government seizes some
Mr Abramovich`s assets, “including his 152 million pound home…”
“Following some of the reports in The Sun and
other newspapers today, I’ve got hold of a leaked document from 2019 from the
Home Office.
“Surely we should be looking at seizing some of
his assets, including his 152 million pound home and making sure that other
people who’ve had tier one visas like this are not engaged in malign activity
in the UK.
“That’s 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,” Mr
Bryant said according to newspaper.
The leaked
2019 report which placed Mr Abramovich on a ‘black list’ for a British
residence permit is primarily based on his links to the Russian state and links
to corrupt activities and practices.
“As part of HMGs Russia strategy, aimed at
targeting illicit activity, Abramovich remains of interest to HMG due to his
links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and
practices.
“An example of
this is Abramovich admitting in court proceedings that he paid for political
influence.
“Therefore,
HMG is focused on ensuring individuals linked to illicit finance and malign
activity are unable to base themselves in the UK and will relevant tools at its
disposal – including immigration powers – to prevent this,” the report read.
The west continues outline sanctions against Russia in retaliation to its invasion of Ukraine. Most of these sanctions are economic-based and targeted at Russian oligarchs and politicians.