Britain will not be able to sanction Roman Abramovich and other oligarchs for “weeks and months” because the government has been unable to build a case against them
thetimes.co.uk/article/buildi…
The Foreign Office and National Crime Agency have been unable to prove that there are “reasonable grounds” for designating the UK’s most prominent oligarchs for sanctions because they have struggled to link their finances to the Putin regime
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, wants to sanction Abramovich but has been left frustrated after being told that the government has been unable to build up a case against him and others
The Times has been told that the crime agency previously attempted to build a case against Abramovich in 2018 but failed. Ministers have been warned that they could sue the government for millions if the decisions are made on a flawed basis
Officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have raised concerns about the future of Chelsea and Everton football clubs and if Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov are sanctioned.
DCMS are currently preparing contingency plans to protect the future of the clubs
Abramovich yesterday announced that he is selling Chelsea amid continuing criticism of his links to Vladimir Putin. He said that he was doing so in the “best interests” of the club
thetimes.co.uk/article/roman-…
Foreign Office lawyers are also understood to have raised concerns about sanctioning all 351 members of Russia’s Duma, warning that it is “too labour intensive”
The government is required to demonstrate that the “significant effect” that sanctions will have on an individual are “appropriate”, an explicit reference to the European Convention on Human Rights
In the Commons yesterday Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, called on Boris Johnson to place sanctions on Abramovich and Igor Shuvalov, a former Russian deputy prime minister, who he said owned two London flats worth £11 million
thetimes.co.uk/article/pm-urg…
Oligarchs are already moving money out of the UK.
Nigel Kushner, chief executive of W Legal, who advises wealthy Russians on sanctions, says he has already been contacted by individuals seeking to shift their assets. He told #Today 👇
Frans Timmermans, the first vice-president of the European Commission, said that Britain is now following the EU’s lead in sanctioning oligarchs. He also said that the Conservative Party will have to “change course” over funding from wealthy Russians. He also told Today:
👇 Read the full story | ✍️ @Steven_Swinford
thetimes.co.uk/article/buildi…
🔺 NEW: Britain hits Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov with sanctions
thetimes.co.uk/article/britai…
Usmanov had been a major investor in Everton Football Club until the arrangement was suspended by the club this week and he previously invested in Arsenal.
Shuvalov owns two flats in Whitehall worth £11 million. Both men have already been sanctioned by the European Union
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