The alleged dark source of his vast fortune Roman Abramovich was revealed as part of an extensive investigation into the Russian multimillionaire, who has been sanctioned, through the BBC Panorama series that aired on Monday night 14/3.
The 55-year-old Abramovich was included in the list of persons subject to UK sanctions last Thursdayresulting in the seizure of his assets and to financially burden Chelsea, the football team he has owned since 2003.
The oligarch has extensive ties to Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine in February in an offensive that sparked reactions against wealthy Russians living abroad with the so-called “golden visa”.
Abramovich, along with dozens of his compatriots, saw his assets in the UK frozen, including a 150 150m mansion in London and a 30 30m three-story penthouse. President Putin’s aggression has led to a new wave of control over oligarchs who may be laundering money in the UK.
The whole episode of Panorama
The theft of the diesel train in 1992
The BBC launched an investigation into Abramovich’s source of wealth four years ago through the Panorama program, revealing the major charges against him for corruption, theft and alleged kidnapping.
Investigators have obtained access to a secret five-page document believed to have been smuggled out of Russia, claiming that the Saratov-born man had arrested by police on suspicion of stealing a diesel train and selling it in 1992.
His lawyers told the BBC that the incident was merely a misunderstanding, but that the Moscow police chief had issued an arrest warrant for the case to disappear without a trace.
The investigation then turned its attention to the mid-1990s, when Abramovich invaded the Russian energy industry through a rigged auction and government bribery.
Bribery and the scandalous purchase of an energy company
The Chelsea owner had planned to combine state-owned oil facilities in Serbia and buy them at a low price, but due to his lack of political influence, he needed to win favor.
Boris Berezovsky, another oligarch, allegedly proposed to Abramovich to pay $ 10 million to a Kremlin official for support. The intended The target of the bribe was Alexander Korzakov, a close ally of then-President Boris Yeltsin..
Korzakov denies any bribery, but confirmed to the BBC that Berzowski had tried to buy back his support. No matter how the money was exchanged, Abramovich’s plan worked and he bought the newly formed company Sibneft in a rigged auction.
The secret document, seen by the BBC, also claims that the money it used to buy the company – now known as Gazprom – was borrowed from a bank after a government official deposited $ 137 million in an account.
Abramovich bought Sibneft for $ 250 million, about $ 2.7 billion less than its value, and later sold it back to the government for $ 13 billion in 2005..
The courts and the management of Putin’s finances
The document provides evidence that the Financial Crimes Department believed that Abramovich could face fraud charges for seizing control of Sibneft through a rigged auction. It is noteworthy that Abramovich confirmed several of the allegations in the document during a court case in London, after he was sued by Berezovsky as soon as their relationship went downhill.
In the case he won in 2012, spoke about the payment to the government official and the auction, with Judge Gloucester acknowledging corruption, although there were no repercussions in the UK or Russia.
The document is believed to show that, at the time, Yeltsin acted to protect Abramovich by transferring files from law enforcement to the Kremlin. An investigation has also been launched by Yuri Skuratov, then Russia’s attorney general, who would later lose his job following the release of a sex tape.
Panorama also drew attention to a document by the Spanish authorities claiming that Abramovich – who served as Putin’s regional governor for eight years – manages the “private financial interests” of the president. This is something that Abramovich’s lawyers deny, while they also denied that he is protected by Yeltsin or Putin.
The abduction of the Chinese competitor
In another deal of dubious quality and background in 2002, Abramovich allegedly bought the oil and gas company Slavneft after allegations of kidnapping a rival negotiator.
The Chinese company CNPC is believed to have been willing to pay double the money from its competitors, but one of its representatives is said to have been abducted upon their arrival at Moscow airport.
The CNPC then withdrew its interest and, again, Abramovich bought the company at a bargain price in a sale described as pre-arranged by Vladimir Milov, a former Russian deputy energy minister.
There is no indication that Abramovic knew about the abduction and his lawyers insist it did not happen, but independent sources confirmed to the BBC that it took place.
Source: News Beast
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