LONDON, June 3. /TASS/. Great Britain has threatened to sue Russian businessman Roman Abramovich unless he agrees to channel 2.5 billion pounds ($3.4 billion) in proceeds from the sale of his Chelsea soccer club to Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing a statement from two British ministers.
"The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine <…>. We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr. Abramovich so far," Reuters quoted Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy as saying in a joint statement.
TASS has filed a request for comment to the businessman’s spokesperson.
The United Kingdom blacklisted Abramovich on March 10, 2022, over the events in Ukraine. The businessman’s assets in the United Kingdom were frozen. On May 24, The UK government and the Premier League approved the sale of Chelsea Football Club to an ownership group led by US businessman Todd Boehly in a deal worth 4.25 billion pounds ($5.7 billion). The club itself was sold for 2.5 billion pounds, while 1.75 billion pounds are to be invested for its development.
On May 25, 2022, the British government issued a special license allowing Abramovich to sell his club on the condition that he would not benefit from the proceeds of the deal. The UK government said it would oversee the transfer of funds to charity organizations, including those helping Ukrainian refugees.