Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich could soon be the target of legal action from the British government as it seeks to ensure that the £2.5 billion it received from the sale of the club goes to the Ukrainian people.
Roman Abramovich could be sued by the UK government (Image: Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
The British government has warned former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich that he could be subject to legal action if he fails to surrender the £2.5bn he received from the sale of the club to aid Ukraine.
Abramovich, 59, was forced to sell Chelsea in 2022 after the government was hit with sanctions for targeting oligarchs in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite being under sanctions, they were given license to sell the club to a consortium including Todd Boley and Behada Egbali because the funds had been donated to victims of the war in Ukraine.
But there has since been a stalemate over how and where the money should be spent, with accounts released last week by Mr Abramovich’s firm Fordstam showing only that he “intends” to donate £987 million to charity after repaying an interest-free loan used to finance Chelsea, rather than the full amount for which the club was sold.
The deadline for Mr Abramovich to release the funds passed earlier this week – and Sky reports that Russia’s legal team has now been told that the UK government is preparing possible legal action.
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A government spokesperson said: “We gave Roman Abramovich one last chance to do the right thing. Once again he has failed to make his promised contribution.”
“We will now take further steps to ensure that the promises he made when he sold Chelsea are kept.”
Abramovich has argued that the funds, which are frozen in British bank accounts, should be used for “all war victims”, meaning Russians could benefit from the cash.
Abramovich sells Chelsea in 2022 (Image: Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Mr Abramovich of legal action if he failed to pay within 90 days after approval was granted in December to fund a new foundation for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine.
He said: “Keep your word and pay back now. If you don’t, we are ready to go to court and make sure every penny reaches the people whose lives were torn apart by President Putin’s illegal war.”
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