A court in the United States issued an arrest warrant for the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and Gulfstream G650ER aircraft, which the US authorities associate with businessman Roman Abramovich.
The country’s Ministry of Commerce earlier initiated administrative proceedings against Abramovich demanding that he be fined for violating bans on the export of aircraft from the United States.
A federal judge in New York signed a warrant allowing the Justice Department to seize two aircraft belonging to Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, transmits CNBC, citing court records. The American authorities suggest that Abramovich sent Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and Gulfstream G650ER to Russia in defiance of US export restrictions.
The decision of the Manhattan District Court was preceded by an administrative proceeding initiated by the Bureau of Industry of the Department of Commerce against Abramovich. The planes linked to Abramovich are Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners and Gulfstream G650ERs, according to documents filed with the court. The Ministry of Commerce is demanding that a billionaire from Russia be fined for violating US export restrictions on aircraft.
Prosecutors said both planes were flown to Russia in March in violation of US export restrictions. These restrictions prohibit the export, re-export, or intra-US transfer of US-made aircraft and aircraft parts and components to or within Russia without a BIS license.
It follows from the court records that Boeing, worth $350 million, is now located in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and Gulfstream is in Russia. Abramovich “owned and/or controlled Gulfstream and Boeing through a series of front companies,” according to an FBI agent’s sworn testimony.
According to the documents, Abramovich is the beneficiary of the Cypriot Europa Settlement Trust. She owns and controls Wotten Overseas Holdings in Jersey. Wotten owns Clear Skies Flights, which owns Gulfstream, and Wenham Overseas, which is based in the British Virgin Islands, owns Boeing. In April, the Jersey authorities froze Abramovich’s assets worth more than $7 billion. Jersey is part of the Channel Islands, located off the coast of Normandy (France), and is a self-governing country. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, Great Britain provides military protection of the island.
US did not impose personal sanctions against Abramovich, EU sanctions were introduced March 15th. Your decision Brussels substantiated that Abramovich has “long and close ties to Vladimir Putin” that “has helped him maintain his considerable wealth” and that taxing the billionaire’s business is a “significant source of revenue” for the Russian budget. Great Britain introduced sanctions against the billionaire on March 10, and later disseminated restrictions on Evraz as well. At the end of May, Abramovich challenged EU sanctions in the European Court of General Jurisdiction.
In May, the board of the English Premier League (EPL) approved the sale of Chelsea, which belonged to Abramovich, and the UK authorities registered deal. The club was bought by a group of investors led by billionaire Todd Boely (state, according to data Forbes Real-Time, $4.5 billion). Buyers will pay 2.5 billion pounds ($3.1 billion) for shares in the club. In addition to this amount, 1.75 billion pounds ($2.17 billion) will be invested by the new owners in the development of the club. Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for $233 million from previous owner Ken Bates.