The British government is preparing to transfer £2.3bn (about $2.8bn) received by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from the sale of the Chelsea football club to a charity fund to help victims of the war in Ukraine. This is reported by The Daily Telegraph, citing government sources.
British authorities are awaiting EU approval as Abramovich is under sanctions. The publication calls the amount “one of the largest donations to victims of war in history”, this money can be transferred to the fund within a few weeks.
In my country blocked
present tense
Abramovich’s proceeds went to a frozen bank account in the UK and are kept there for eight months. Abramovich’s press office told RBC that the businessman has nothing to do with the distribution of these funds, they are at the disposal of the British authorities.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the charity will be headed by Mike Penrose, the former chief executive of the UK’s UNICEF. Information on the charity’s board and projects is expected to be released in the next two weeks.
Roman Abramovich is on the list of the richest people in Russia. He was called an oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, although he himself denies this and does not participate in Russian political life. Abramovich has Russian and Israeli passports.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU and the UK imposed sanctions against him. Because of this, several US hedge funds froze his assets, the US Department of Commerce banned the maintenance of his aircraft. On April 13, a Jersey court froze over $7 billion in Abramovich-related assets.
Roman Abramovich has owned the Chelsea club since 2003, in March, after the start of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, he announced its sale. The deal was announced at the beginning of last year and completed at the end of May. The club was bought for 4.25 billion pounds by a consortium of businessmen with the participation of American billionaire Todd Beley, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
