ABRAMOVICH FAILS AGAIN IN BID TO LIFT EU SANCTIONS

Former Chelsea owner and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has suffered another legal setback after his latest attempt to overturn European Union sanctions against him was rejected. The restrictions, imposed following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, remain in place after the European courts upheld the bloc’s decision to maintain the measures against the businessman.

Abramovich has repeatedly challenged the sanctions, arguing that the EU lacked sufficient grounds to keep him on its restrictive list. His latest legal effort represents another unsuccessful attempt to have the measures removed. The EU initially sanctioned him in March 2022, citing his close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his position as a major shareholder in steel and mining group Evraz.

The former Chelsea proprietor has denied having close ties to Putin. However, EU authorities maintained that his business interests and relationship with the Russian establishment justified the sanctions. The restrictions include an asset freeze and a ban on making funds or economic resources available to him.

Abramovich previously challenged the EU measures before the bloc's courts, but his earlier case was rejected in December 2023. The European Union’s Court of Justice ruled at the time that the sanctions were justified, dealing another blow to his efforts to have his name removed from the sanctions list.

The latest defeat means Abramovich remains under EU restrictions more than four years after they were introduced. His situation is also linked to the unresolved status of proceeds from the sale of Chelsea, which were frozen under sanctions arrangements. The former owner sold the Premier League club in 2022 after almost two decades at Stamford Bridge, ending one of the most significant ownership eras in the club’s history.