Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought the Chelsea owner into the spotlight, and now more about his past has been discovered.
Abramovich had his first problem with the law in 1992
Having been sanctioned heavily by the English government and then the Premier League, Roman Abramovich is at the centre of much-unwanted attention this week due to his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brought the Chelsea owner into the spotlight, and now more about his past has been discovered. The BBC have revealed a series of documents that show where his wealth came from, including theft, corruption and even kidnapping. Abramovich had his first problem with the law in 1992, robbing a train loaded with fuel to be then resold. But the Russian’s lawyers have told the BBC that the incident was a mere misunderstanding. Moscow police issued an arrest warrant, but the case then disappeared without a trace.
There are also accusations of corruption around his purchase of Sibneft, where he needed political influence that he didn’t have. As per Boris Berezovsky, another Russian oligarch, the Chelsea owner gave him more than 10 million pounds to pay to Alexander Korzhakov, an important figure in Boris Yeltsin’s government. The Russian parliament investigated the purchase in 1997, with charges of fraud then sought. According to the BBC, though, Abramovich had the support of the Russian president at the time.
Accusations of kidnapping
Battling with a Chinese company trying to buy Slavneft, Abramovich’s bid was doubled by their opponents. It’s said that a member of the Chinese delegation was kidnapped upon arrival in Moscow to negotiate the purchase, with the Chinese company then pulling out of the discussions as a result of the kidnapping. Abramovich’s lawyers have told the BBC that he did not know about the incident and false accusations. The Russian has also found himself in a personal scandal, with it coming to light that he is in a relationship with a 25-year-old model and presenter, Alexandra Korendyuk, who is of Ukrainian origin. It’s thought that they’ve been in a relationship for more than a year. According to several reports in the British media, Abramovich landed in Moscow after being spotted at an Israeli airport.
The Chelsea owner was photographed waiting in a lounge at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, wearing a face mask. He presumably then boarded a jet he owned that departed for Moscow, making a brief stop in Turkey, according to the air route website Flightradar24.