By Micheal Chukwuebuka, Reporting
Former Chelsea Football Club owner, Roman Abramovich, has, on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, lost in his legal attempt to overturn sanctions imposed by the European Union for his role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Recall that Abramovich, 57, had filed a lawsuit at the European Union’s general court against the Council, which imposed a punishment on the oligarch in 2022 as part of measures targeting Russia and President Vladimir Putin’s close allies.
President Vladimir Putin
“The General Court dismisses the action brought by Mr. Abramovich, thereby upholding the restrictive measures taken against him.
“The Council did not in fact err in its assessment by deciding to include, then maintain Mr. Abramovich’s name on the list at issue, in the light of his role in the Evraz group and, in particular, its parent company,” the court said Wednesday.
According to a source, Abramovich’s economic activities provided substantial revenues to the Russian government, which gave him a privileged access to Putin and also maintained a very good relationship with him.
“He is a major shareholder of the steel group Evraz, which is one of Russia’s largest taxpayers.
“He has therefore been benefiting from Russian decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea or the destabilization of Ukraine,” the European Council, which is composed of the leaders of EU member nations, said in a statement.
Abramovich’s press team, in a statement to The Associated Press, expressed disappointment with the court’s decision and said he does not have the ability to influence the decision making of any government, including Russia, and has in no way benefitted from the war.
“The court’s decision to maintain the sanctions against Mr. Abramovich were based purely on the court defining Mr. Abramovich as a Russian businessman, which under today’s very broad EU regulations is sufficient to remain sanctioned even if you are just a passive shareholder in a business sector with no connection to the war,” part of the statement said.
Stonix News also recalled that in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich had his assets in Britain frozen.
The 57-year-old billionaire and businessman, after being sanctioned by the British government, sold his Premier League club Chelsea for 2.5 billion pounds, which was then the highest price ever paid for a sports team.
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