LONDON − Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has been reportedly barred from living in Britain, has not been seen at his south-west London home for months, reports the UK’s Daily Mail.
Following criticism of Russian oligarchs in the wake of the Salisbury poisonings, the Chelsea Football Club owner withdrew his British Tier 1 investor visa application in 2018 after reported delays.
Senior security sources now say − according to The Sun − it is unlikely that the 55-year-old will ever be allowed to live in Britain again with immigration officials reportedly under instructions to make it impossible for Roman to base himself in the UK.
His case is said to be handled by the Home Office’s “Special Cases Unit”.
It comes after Roman was named by Members of Parliament (MPs) on Tuesday as being one of 35 oligarchs identified by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as one of the ‘key enablers’ of the ‘kleptocracy’ run by the country’s president Vladimir Putin.
As Britain looks to impose sanctions on Russia amid rising tensions with Ukraine, Roman vehemently denies he is close to the Kremlin or has done anything that would merit sanctions being imposed against him.
As Israeli citizens are allowed to enter Britain for up to six months, Roman − who became an Israeli citizen in 2018 − used his Israeli passport last October to make a short trip to London.
However, a senior source told The Sun that any attempt by the oligarch to apply for a permanent visa would “almost certainly be rejected”.
Having an estimated wealth of £8.4 billion (RM47.62 billion), Roman, who has never held UK citizenship, made his money selling assets purchased from the state when the Soviet Union broke up.
He arrived at Chelsea in 2003 and with the help of Jose Mourinho, transformed the team from outside challengers to a Premier League giant.
On Tuesday, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran read out a list that featured Roman’s name alongside other oligarchs, including Arsenal investor Alisher Usmanov.
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss refused to say whether or not Roman would be targeted with sanctions but suggested that others would be.
“We have a long list of those complicit in the actions of the Russian leadership,” she said.
“Should Russia refuse to pull back its troops, we can keep turning up the heat − targeting more banks, elites and companies of significance.
“This is about inflicting pain on Putin and degrading the Russian economic system over time, targeting people that are close to Putin. What we have to do is make it as painful as possible.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday held talks with senior city figures about ways to tighten the screws on Russian businesses and individuals with links to the Kremlin.
Boris said the UK government was “bringing forward” the next wave of sanctions, which would “stop all Russian banks, all oligarchs, all Russian individuals raising money on London markets”.
He acknowledged the impatience of many to move faster but said it was vital that it was done on a coordinated international basis.
“On all these measures, it is very important to remember that they are more effective when all financial centres move forward together, and that is what the UK has been organising,” he said.
“We can keep turning up the heat.” – Agencies, February 24, 2022
