The billionaire owner of Chelsea football club, Roman Abramovich, has lost his court bid to block the publication of a police report into his Swiss residency application.
The report, made public by local news organisation Tamedia following a seven-month court battle, said Abramovich posed a “threat to public security and a reputational risk” because of a “suspicion of money laundering and presumed contacts with criminal organisations”.
Abramovich, a Russian national, who has subsequently successfully applied for Israeli citizenship, wanted the application kept private.
UK visa
Abramovich was effectively kicked out of the UK, despite ploughing millions into Chelsea, when he failed to get his visa renewed and subsequently withdrew the application.
The reasons for the UK visa withdrawal are unknown but it has come at a time of tightening immigration rules for international high net worth individuals.
Plans for a new stadium have since been postponed and Abramovich has reportedly said he has no interest in living in a country where he can’t do business.
A lawyer for the oligarch quoted in UK newspaper The Guardian described the Swiss allegations against his client as “entirely false”.
Abramovich has never been charged in Switzerland and the accusations made in the report have not been verified.
