Members of the British parliament are proposing to ban Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from ownership of his club Chelsea FC.
This move comes after an exclusive from British newspaper The Sun revealed that Mr Abramovich withdrew his application for a UK Tier 1 investor visa in 2018 due to pressure in the wake of the nerve gas atrocity in Salisbury, Wilts.
British Labour MP Chris Bryant, who revealed details of the explosive security memo about Mr Abramovich, says the Chelsea owner is a person ‘of interest’ to the Home Office because of his ties to corrupt activity and practices.
“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 to meet to outline sanctions against Russia as a response to its invasion of Ukraine. Several of these sanctions are economic-based and targeted at Russian oligarchs and lawmakers.
