Exclusive:Abramovich Handed Chelsea Director Control of Firm on Day of Ukraine Invasion, Filing Show
Daily Rendezvous (Reuters) Russian billionaire and owner of Chelsea football club Roman Abramovich arrives at a division of the High Court in central London October 31, 2011. REUTERS/Andrew Winning/ Russian businessman Roman Abramovich transferred a company he controlled with tens of millions of dollars of investments to a director of English soccer club Chelsea on the day Russia invaded Ukraine, UK corporate filings showed. It was the second time Chelsea owner Abramovich moved assets to a close associate before Britain and the European Union imposed sanctions on him this month. After Britain was initially slower than the United States and the European Union in imposing sanctions following the Feb. 24 invasion, British lawmakers complained that the government was giving oligarchs time to move their assets out of the country before any curbs were annoyed. Abramovich did not respond to requests for comment left with Chelsea and his spokesperson. A British governme...