Although the investigation is being conducted in connection with sanctions against Russia, this is the first such precedent in the post-Soviet space.
Jersey (British Crown) authorities have launched a preliminary investigation into Roman Abramovich, who wants to find out how he acquired stakes in oil companies in the 1990s, “which became the basis of his wealth in post-Soviet Russia.” This was reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The publication notes that the oligarch built the Russian oil company Sibneft in the 1990s, buying it from the Russian state during a controversial privatization process. The investigation reveals how Abramovich made his acquisitions in the 1990s, which made him one of the richest people in the post-Soviet space.
Abramovich's proxies did not break the law and did not hide their assets from Western sanctions.
The Wall Street Journal notes that the European Union and Britain have imposed sanctions on Abramovich, saying that he benefited from his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In 1995, Abramovich acquired Sibneft as part of privatization. In 2005, Abramovich sold a stake in Sibneft (75.7%) to Gazprom for $ 13.1 billion. In 2011, during a lawsuit in London, Abramovich's lawyers denied that the deal was “corrupt.”
Most of Abramovich's fortune was registered on the island of Jersey. His assets include real estate, helicopter and yacht companies. In April, the Jersey government announced that a court had ruled to freeze assets worth $ 7 billion, possibly related to Abramovich.
Bloomberg estimates Abramovich's fortune at $ 12 It is under EU, British and Canadian sanctions.
this is the first such precedent since the initial accumulation of capital in the post-Soviet space since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
