XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, soc.culture.israel, sac.politics
XPost: alt.politics.republicans, talk.politics.guns
One of Britain’s richest men, Russian-born Roman Abramovich, widely
believed to be a member of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, has found
himself at the center of a sanctions debacle. Asked by Ukraine to
sit at the negotiation table in peace talks with Russia, the
billionaire is one of the few people on good terms with both sides
of the war. But that is not enough to get him out of sanctions, so
Yad Vashem, the head of Israeli’s Holocaust memorial and museum, is petitioning the U.S. government to give him a pass, according to The
Washington Post.
Quoting a letter to U.S. Ambassador Tom Nides, Yad Vashem and a
number of high-ranking Israelis have officially asked the U.S.
government to exclude Abramovich from their sanctions, warning that
not doing so could be harmful to Jewish institutions that need his
money. Abramovich recently donated an “eight-figure” sum to bolster research projects and commission two new editions of the Book of
Names that will be overseen by Yad Vashem’s museum.
Abramovich became a dual Israeli citizen in 2018, shortly after he
was turned down for a U.K. passport during heightened tensions with
the Kremlin after the nerve-agent poisoning of ex KGB officer Sergei
Skripal and his daughter by Russian agents.
Abramovich, clearly concerned about the sting of sanctions, is said
to be conducting a fire sale of his British assets, including a $260
million London property empire and his multibillion-dollar stake in
the Chelsea football club, fearing his assets will be frozen by
British lawmakers.
On Wednesday, he released a statement on the team website confirming
rumors that the club was now for sale. “In the current situation, I
have therefore taken the decision to sell the Club, as I believe
this is in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees,
as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners.” Never mind that
keeping it in his wheelhouse would have surely seen it shuttered
under the strict sanctions set forth by the British government
against oligarchs. He went on to say the sale of the club would “not
be fast-tracked but will follow due process.” While no buyer has
been named, he wrote, “I will not be asking for any loans to be
repaid. This has never been about business nor money for me, but
about pure passion for the game and Club.”
As a final note, he said the money from the sale will be donated to
a new fund he is setting up. “The foundation will be for the benefit
of all victims of the war in Ukraine,” he wrote, without mentioning
his best pal Putin or Russia actually leading the war effort. “This
includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate
needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of
recovery.”
Wyss said he had not been given an “exact selling price” and would
not agree to the deal unless as part of a consortium of partners
joining him in the investment. However Blick said the deal is
thought to be valued at around $2.5 billion.
The comments by Wyss came after British lawmaker Chris Bryant used parliamentary privilege Tuesday to accuse Abramovich of plotting a
speedy selloff of his trophy London properties, including a $200
million home on the city’s most exclusive street, where his
neighbors include Prince William and Kate Middleton.
He added he was afraid the billionaire would have “have sold
everything by the time we get round to sanctioning him.”
It was notable for being one of the very few public statements
Abramovich has ever made about Chelsea. The second was his
confirmation of the club’s sale four days later.
Last year, his fortune was said to be around $15 billion. However
that changed with the collapse of Evraz, the London-listed mining
giant in which he has a significant stake. It fell by 84 percent in
value as sanctions hit, and knocked his wealth, with Forbes putting
his real-time net worth Wednesday at $12.6 billion.
Abramovich was born in Saratov, in southwest Russia, and, orphaned
at the age of 3, was brought up by his uncle. After the collapse of
the Soviet Union, he made billions from the former state energy
companies he bought up in the 1990s. By 2008, when his net worth
peaked at $23 billion, he was Russia’s richest man.
He is not believed to have spent any significant amount of time in
the U.K. since 2018, when his application for a U.K. visa was
withdrawn.
https://news.yahoo.com/roman-abramovich-accused-conducting-fire-
134735437.html
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