Source The island's police apologized to the billionaire for the searches conducted in April and declared them illegal. The value of all the frozen assets of the businessman is more than 25 billion euros. The police of the island of Jersey (a self-governing territory of Britain) declared illegal searches in premises that are associated with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich (a fortune according to Forbes – $ 8.7 billion), and also agreed to pay damages and apologize. This is stated in a police document seen by Reuters.
Jersey Police obtained a warrant and conducted searches of Abramovich-related premises in mid-April. Law enforcement officers seized documents and technical devices as ordered by the court.
According to the November 9 order, authenticated to Reuters by two sources, the Jersey Police admitted that “the search warrant was illegally obtained” and should be cancelled. The police also agreed to pay damages and legal costs, confirmed that all copies of the documents seized during the searches were destroyed, and also agreed to apologize to Abramovich, the document says.
“Abramovich has always acted in accordance with the law, we are pleased that the Jersey police made concessions regarding these illegal and unreasonable searches,” Abramovich's spokeswoman told the agency.
RBC sent a request to Abramovich's representative.
Jersey is an island in the English Channel, part of the Channel Islands, is a self-governing possession in the British Crown. At the same time, Jersey is not part of the United Kingdom, but the protection of the island is spelled out in the British constitution.
Abramovich came under British sanctions, which include an asset freeze and a travel ban on March 10. At the same time, the UK Financial Conduct Authority announced that it had temporarily suspended Evraz's listing on the London Stock Exchange. In May, Britain imposed sanctions on the group itself.
After that, the government of the island of Jersey announced a freeze on $7 billion in assets allegedly linked to Abramovich. The assets are either located in Jersey or owned by companies registered in this offshore, the authorities said in a statement. The general condition of the businessman at that time was estimated at about $14 billion.
At the same time, The Guardian, citing the French Ministry of Finance and Economy, reported that the authorities seized 33 properties belonging to Russian “oligarchs” subject to sanctions. A source in the department noted that out of 33 objects, about 10 belong to Abramovich.
According to him, the total value of the frozen assets is more than €25 billion. Among them are superyachts, helicopters and houses, including the Château de la Croë villa on Cape Antibes.
The European Union also imposed sanctions against Abramovich in mid-March , but the businessman challenged them. In his lawsuit, he demanded that €1 million be contributed to the charitable foundation he created after the sale of the Chelsea football club. According to the businessman, the restrictions violate his fundamental rights, which the EU must protect, since he is a citizen of Portugal.
The US has not imposed sanctions against the businessman. The Wall Street Journal wrote that the administration of US President Joe Biden was preparing to impose sanctions against Abramovich, but the US National Security Council instructed the Treasury Department to refrain from imposing sanctions on him.
According to the publication, this happened after how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Biden and advised him to wait with a decision on sanctions, as Abramovich could mediate a settlement between Moscow and Kyiv.
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