According to the "Daily Telegraph", Abramovich has not made any public statements since he promised to donate the net proceeds from the sale of Chelsea to "all victims of the Ukrainian war" in 2022. However, the release of this £...
According to the "Daily Telegraph", Abramovich has not made any public statements since he promised to donate the net proceeds from the sale of Chelsea to "all victims of the Ukrainian war" in 2022. However, the release of this £2.35 billion fund has been put on hold due to a legal dispute with the Jersey government.
Previously, there was a view that the reason why the above-mentioned funds could not be released was that Abramovich refused to sign an agreement to use the funds only in Ukraine. But recently, as Abramovich waived the privacy protection order, the truth emerged: a legal dispute between the Russian tycoon and the Jersey government was the key factor that prevented the payment from being released.
Since Chelsea was acquired by a consortium led by Todd Bolley in 2022, the funds obtained by Abramovich from selling the club have been frozen. At the time, Abramovich was sanctioned for his relationship with Putin and claimed that the "net proceeds" from the sale of Chelsea would be used to aid all victims of the war in Ukraine.
In April 2022, one month after Abramovich announced his donation plan, the Royal Court of Jersey in the United Kingdom imposed a formal freezing order on Abramovich’s assets worth US$7 billion (approximately 5.3 billion pounds).
The Attorney General of Jersey stated at the time that Abramovich was a criminal suspect, but a few months later, according to court documents seen by a reporter from the "Daily Telegraph", the police admitted that the search of properties in Abramovich's name was illegal.
Abramovich's complaint centers on Jersey government authorities deleting government data related to the original investigation, an issue that came to light after he successfully used legal proceedings to compel government ministers and other senior officials to hand over private messages, emails and other relevant data.
Last week, Justice David Michael of the Jersey Royal Court ruled in favor of Abramovich, requiring the Jersey government to pay the former Chelsea owner’s legal costs and calling the Jersey government’s behavior “extreme.”
According to sources close to the British government, the case was raised several times when discussions about the Ukrainian funds reached an impasse. However, lawyers representing Abramovich have repeatedly told the government that the issue must be resolved before war victim funding can be discussed, and it is believed to be the main reason for the slow progress in the release of £2.35 billion.
Abramovich further accused the Jersey government. A spokesman said: "The Attorney General's decision to investigate Abramovich is illegal and politically motivated, and is intended to improve Jersey's reputation as a financial center after the Russia-Ukraine conflict, because the Jersey government had previously encouraged In response, the Jersey government issued a statement saying: "We respect the independence of the judiciary and the integrity of the legal process and will continue to firmly defend our position." Allegations of conspiracy, abuse of power or malicious behavior are unfounded and will be resolved through appropriate legal channels."
A British government source said: "The legal process in Jersey is a matter for the Jersey government, and the British government is determined to ensure that all proceeds from the sale of Chelsea are used for humanitarian causes in Ukraine. Although the door to negotiations remains open, we will use legal weapons to ensure that the suffering people of Ukraine can benefit from these funds as soon as possible."
source:7m vn
