“My message to Abramovich is this: time is running out. » In front of the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday threatened Russian oligarch Roman Abramovitch to take legal action if the former owner of Chelsea FC did not agree to give Ukraine the 2.5 billion pounds resulting from the sale of the club.
“Honor the commitment you made and pay now. Otherwise, we are prepared to go to court so that every penny goes to those whose lives have been destroyed by Putin’s illegal war” in Ukraine, the Labor leader added. Keir Starmer said the government had issued a permit to pave the way for the funds, currently frozen, to be transferred to a foundation dedicated to humanitarian causes in Ukraine.
2.8 billion euros
Owner since 2003 of the Chelsea club, billionaire Roman Abramovitch was sanctioned in March 2022 by the British government after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. London has since accused him of being “pro-Kremlin” and of having links with Vladimir Putin. He was forced to sell the club, acquired in May 2022 by a new consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly.
The proceeds of the sale – 2.5 billion pounds (around 2.8 billion euros) – have been frozen and are currently in a British bank account. But more than three years later, no agreement has been reached with Abramovich. In June, the government expressed its frustration, saying it was already ready to take “the matter to court if necessary”. The British government wants the funds to be used exclusively for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, while the oligarch wants this money to go to all victims of the war – including the Russians.
