TheNewsGuru

Tag: Roman Abramovich

  • U.S. judge authorises seizure of planes belonging to Roman Abramovich

    U.S. judge authorises seizure of planes belonging to Roman Abramovich

    A U.S. judge has authorised the seizure of two aircraft owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, for violating export restrictions as well as U.S. sanctions on Russia.

    The Department of Justice (DoJ) said a federal judge in New York authorised the seizure requested by federal agents of a Boeing 787-8 and a Gulfstream G650ER.

    The aircraft with an estimated combined value of more than 410 million U.S. dollars owned and controlled by Abramovich, the billionaire former owner of Chelsea Football Club.

    The seizure and forfeiture were “based on probable cause of violations of the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) and the recent sanctions issued against Russia,’’ the DoJ said in a statement.

    U.S. authorities charge that each of the two aircraft was flown from a third country to Russia in March.

    DoJ said the Boeing is currently in the United Arab Emirates, while the Gulfstream remains in Russia.

    It was initially unclear how or when the U.S. authorities might be able to seize the aircraft.

    However, the ruling is likely to make it difficult to use the planes for international travel in the future.

    The U.S. authorities were also seeking fines of up to twice the value of the planes.

    Abramovich, 55, is one of the multiple Russian billionaires targeted by sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

  • Boehly: What happens next at Chelsea FC

    Boehly: What happens next at Chelsea FC

    American business tycoon, Todd Boehly has agreed to a £4.25billion ($5.24 billion) deal to buy Chelsea Football Club of London from Russian-Israeli billionaire, Roman Abramovich.

    Here below is a look at the state of play at Stamford Bridge.

    How was the deal agreed?

    Boehly and his consortium partners have battled past a host of suitors to strike a deal to buy Chelsea for the highest price ever paid for a sports club.

    Former British Airways chairman Martin Broughton and Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca had joined Boehly in the final three bidding to buy the Blues.

    Boehly and his partners brokered a deal with New York merchant bank the Raine Group, handling the sale on Chelsea’s behalf.

    Chelsea eventually announced the agreement in the early hours of Saturday.

    So what happens now?

    Boehly and his partners must pass the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ tests, before the British government will then sign off the sale by granting a new licence for the deal to be completed.

    Why is Chelsea FC being sold?

    Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.

    The 55-year-old was then sanctioned by the British government on March 10, with Downing Street claiming to have proven his links to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.

    Abramovich’s ownership was left untenable, with the billionaire selling Chelsea after 19 years at the Stamford Bridge helm.

    Are there any remaining concerns around the sale?

    Abramovich cannot profit from the sale under the terms of his sanctions, but the Chelsea owner has long since pledged to donate all proceeds to a charitable foundation to aid victims of the war in Ukraine.

    The government must agree to Abramovich’s plans to set up an independently-run charitable foundation to handle the distribution of those funds.

    Abramovich wants to write off his 1.5 billion pounds loan to Chelsea, but the sanctions currently block such a move.

    Chelsea and the government expect to find a resolution, with the Boehly sale agreement paving the way for the deal to be completed.

    Who else is involved in the winning consortium?

    Clearlake Capital will take the majority shareholding, with co-founder Behdad Eghbali taking the lead on all things Chelsea from the California-based investment firm.

    Boehly’s LA Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter adds yet more sports administration expertise, while Swiss magnate Hansjorg Wyss is also involved.

    What if the deal were to hit an unlikely snag?

    Chelsea and the Raine Group could turn to one of the previous bidders should any problems arise with Boehly’s offer.

    Though this now seems highly unlikely, Broughton’s bid would be expected to be progressed first should Boehly hit any trouble.

    Ineos chief Jim Ratcliffe appears further removed from the picture.

    Britain’s richest man tabled a last-ditch offer for the Blues last week, but did so outside of the official sale process.

    Raine rejected the bid out of hand, but in spite of that the 69-year-old had refused to admit defeat on his candidacy.

  • Chelsea fans on twitter react as $5.2bn deal is sealed

    Chelsea fans on twitter react as $5.2bn deal is sealed

    Chelsea fans have taken to the micro-blogging site, Twitter, to react to the news of the sales of the European and World Club Cup Champions.

    Many paid tribute to the passion and investment sense of the former owner, Roman Abramovich,’ thenewsguri.com has gathered.

    Here are some of the reactions as learnt by our correspondent…

    https://twitter.com/MorhSultan/status/1522814290520117249?t=koCohz3v73JG2k_foVZzow&s=19

    https://twitter.com/GEEINNBLAQ/status/1522822665475702784?t=3evqbJcyyx5yc_5Um3klog&s=19

    Chelsea FC said a group led by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly would acquire the London club after agreeing to terms in a deal worth £4.25 billion ($5.2 billion).

    “The sale is expected to complete in late May subject to all necessary regulatory approvals,” the football club said in a statement late Friday.

    “More details will be provided at that time,” it added.

    Thenewsguru.com recalls that Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich put the Premier League club on the market in March, just days before he was sanctioned by the British government following the invasion of Ukraine.

    After a lengthy bidding process involving several groups, Boehly and his fellow investors were picked by Raine Group, the New York bank overseeing the Blues’ sale.

    Boehly’s group of investors includes fellow Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter, Swiss billionaire Hansjoerg Wyss and US investment firm Clearlake Capital.

    “Chelsea Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed for a new ownership group, led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjoerg Wyss, to acquire the Club,” the Chelsea statement said.

    “Of the total investment being made, £2.5bn will be applied to purchase the shares in the Club and such proceeds will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account with the intention to donate 100 percent to charitable causes as confirmed by Roman Abramovich,” it said.

    “UK government approval will be required for the proceeds to be transferred from the frozen UK bank account.”

    In addition, thenewsguru.ng further gathered that the new owners would commit £1.75 billion in further investment for the benefit of the club, Chelsea said.

    Chelsea were forced to operate under a special licence from the government after Abramovich was sanctioned by Britain and the European Union for his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Abramovich cannot profit from Chelsea’s sale, but had already vowed to write off the club’s £1.5 billion debt and that all proceeds from the sale would go to victims of the war in Ukraine, thenewsguru.ng can authoritatively report.

    There had been fears over the future of the club if a sale was not finalised before the licence runs out on May 31.

    Under the terms of the licence, Chelsea were unable to offer new contracts to existing players or sign players from other clubs.

    The sale of the European champions brings the curtain down on 19 years of nearly unbroken success under the 55-year-old Abramovich, who has overseen five Premier League titles and two Champions League triumphs.

    After initially embarking on a long winning run following Abramovich’s decision to sell the club, Chelsea have struggled to find their best form recently.

    They suffered a painful Champions League quarter-final defeat at Real Madrid after nearly pulling off an epic comeback from a 3-1 first leg deficit.

    Chelsea’s place in the Premier League’s top four is also far from guaranteed.

  • Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton table joint bid for Chelsea takeover

    Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton table joint bid for Chelsea takeover

    23 grand slam winner Serena Williams and Formula One shinning star Lewis Hamilton have both considered a bid to take over Chelsea football club.
    The two international sport stars are reported to be joining the takeover bid by Sir Martin Broughton, one of three remaining bids for the Blues.

    Serena and Hamilton have already tabled 10 million pounds each to bid for the London based club which is being headed by sports marketer Sir Martin Broughton.

    Findings have shown that both Williams and Hamilton have dabbled into a joint business in the past and have now stepped up their business partnership ideas.

     

    Business mogul and former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton is joined by Steve Pagliuca and Todd Boehly in the bidding race.

    Recall that the Ricketts family in America who initially showed interest in the bid has pulled out of the acquisition race.

    The sale of Chelsea comes after the Russia invasion of Ukraine and the consequent banishment and sanctions placed on present owner Roman Abramovich prompted him to put the club up for sale.

    Hamilton is a seven-time Formula 1 world champion, whilst Williams is a former world no.1 and 23 grand slam winner in the professional tennis circuit.

     

  • Ricketts family makes u-turn, backs down from buying chelsea

    Ricketts family makes u-turn, backs down from buying chelsea

    One of the bidders of Chelsea football club the Ricketts-led consortium has stepped down bids to purchase Chelsea.

    The Ricketts consortium announced on Friday it had withdrawn its bid to buy Premier League club Chelsea, which is being sold by owner Roman Abramovich.

    Ricketts corsotirum who also owns the Chicago Cubs and their partners have taken a decision not to table a final for the acquisition of the Chelsea which was put up for sale by owner Roman Abramovich.

    Cubs owners Tom and Laura Ricketts had partnered with US billionaires Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert on a cash-only bid to buy the Blues.

    .Final bids were due to be submitted to New York merchant bank the Raine Group on Thursday, but the Ricketts-led group has now withdrawn its candidacy.

  • Roman Abramovich bidding to buy La Liga club

    Roman Abramovich bidding to buy La Liga club

    Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is planning a bid for La Liga club Valencia.

    Abramovich confirmed last month that he was selling the Blues but there is now a suggestion that he may re-enter football immediately with a hope of buying the struggling La Liga club, amid reports that Singaporean businessman Peter Lim has put Valencia up for sale. That is according to Miguel Zorio, who is a rival bidder for Los Che.

    Chelsea are desperate to secure a new owner amid a budget crisis, with their funds dictated by the British government in the wake of the UK sanctions imposed on Abramovich due to his alleged links to Russia president Vladimir Putin.

    Zorio, a Spanish businessman who is attempting to buy Valencia with an €248m (£207.8m) bid, alleges that the club’s current owner, Peter Lim, has claimed that he has also received an offer from Abramovich.

    There has now been a claim from Zorio that Lim has attempted to sell the club to Abramovich and has accused the current Valencia owner of leaking the news to the media. Zorio has suggested that the Russian oligarch is the other major contender to buy the club.

    Plaza Deportiva report a letter from Zorio as stating: “Peter Lim has tried to sell the club in London for €250million and has not succeeded. Lately, he has leaked to international media that he has two purchase offers, mine and that of the Russian oligarch of Chelsea. And from here, I tell him that either he puts €50m every year to compensate for the losses he generates or he sells to us. Whether he likes it or not.”

  • UK SANCTION: Abramovich’s $600m (£458m) superyacht Solaris departs Turkish port

    UK SANCTION: Abramovich’s $600m (£458m) superyacht Solaris departs Turkish port

    The $600m (£458m) superyacht Solaris of Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, has left Turkish port, after Global Ports Holding was pressed to act over UK sanctions.

     

    The London-based company that operates the terminal which had been harbouring the oligarch’s yacht was pressed to act on the UK sanction.

     

    Solaris, which is 140 metres long and has a helipad and swimming pool, left Bodrum Cruise Port on Monday.

     

    It is now at anchor off Yalikavak beach in south-western Turkey, according to the shipping data service Marine Traffic.

     

    Pressure had been building for Global Ports Holding (GPH), the Mayfair-headquartered company that runs Bodrum Cruise Port, to refuse services to Solaris.

     

    The superyacht Phi was seized by the UK government, at Canary Wharf, London, on 29 March.

    Staff who work on yachts and planes of Russian oligarchs could face UK sanctions.

    Legal experts had said the London-listed company was taking “a very big risk” by allowing a superyacht owned by a sanctioned individual to use one of its ports. The Bodrum port is one of 22 terminals run by the firm.

     

    Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, is one of several Russian billionaires hit by UK sanctions last month as part of the government’s efforts to put pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the invasion of Ukraine.

     

    Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, described the sanctioned individuals as having “the blood of the Ukrainian people on their hands”.

     

    A spokesperson for Global Ports Holding declined to comment on why Solaris had left the port.

     

    In a statement on Sunday, the company said it did not have “any power to accept or reject any ship or yacht” from the port but it had taken the decision to “not receive any service fee or other payments concerning the berthing of this superyacht”.

     

    “Global Ports Holding plc notes recent press speculation regarding the berthing at Bodrum Yolcu Liman İşletmeleri AŞ (Bodrum Cruise Port), Turkey, of a superyacht, allegedly owned by a designated person subject to sanctions imposed by the UK government,” GPH said.

     

    “As a private terminal operator in Turkey, GPH merely operates Bodrum Cruise Port as the concessionaire and is not involved in granting permission for a ship or a yacht to dock at the port.

     

    “This responsibility and decision sit with the Turkish authorities, and as concessionaire, GPH must comply with such a decision as long as the decision is legal under the applicable laws.

     

    “However, and notwithstanding the difficulties of any party to correctly identify the actual ownership of such assets, GPH has not and will not receive any service fee or other payments concerning the berthing of this superyacht at Bodrum Cruise Port.”

     

    The company said the berthing of Solaris did not breach UK sanction laws because “the alleged offence has taken place at a port outside the United Kingdom where GPH does not have any ownership or any power to accept or reject any ship or yacht pursuant to the applicable laws”.

     

    The Home Office declined to provide further details about the eight oligarchs.
    Russian oligarchs on UK sanctions list granted ‘golden visas’

    Solaris arrived at Bodrum Cruise Port on 22 March after hurriedly leaving a port in Barcelona, where it was undergoing repairs, as EU countries began seizing sanctioned individuals’ assets.

     

    Ukrainian protesters tried to stop Solaris mooring at the port. Members of the Optimist Sailing Team Ukraine confronted the vessel in a small boat, chanting “No war in Ukraine” and waving the country’s flag.

     

    They were part of a junior sailing team that was in Turkey to compete in an annual competition, having left Ukraine before the invasion.

     

    Turkey has refused to impose sanctions on Russians, despite the UK, US and EU uniting to restrict oligarchs believed to have benefited from close relationships with Putin.

     

    The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said the oligarchs were “of course” welcome and could do business in Turkey according to international law.

     

    Another, even larger, superyacht owned by Abramovich was moored in Turkey.

     

    Eclipse, which at 162.5 metres is believed to be the world’s second largest superyacht, arrived at the port of Marmaris on 22 March.

     

    Reports suggest that Abramovich owns as many as five superyachts worth more than $1bn (£762m) in total. Another yacht linked to the billionaire, Garcon, is now berthed in Antigua.

     

    The Antiguan government has asked for the UK’s assistance to seize the vessel.

     

    Ronald Sanders, the country’s ambassador to the US, said: “We’ve said that we’re quite happy to cooperate, but under the rule of law. The only way we can [seize the vessel] is if the British, in their mutual legal assistance treaty request, establish that this is a person they want because he has committed some crime.”

     

    This article was amended on 4 April 2022 because an earlier version located Yalikavak in south-eastern Turkey whereas it is in the south west.

     

     

  • Abramovich ‘lost sight for several hours’ after suspected poisoning

    Abramovich ‘lost sight for several hours’ after suspected poisoning

    Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was treated in Turkey after a suspected poisoning earlier this month.

    Abramovich has suffered a suspected poisoning along with Ukraine peace negotiators earlier this month that caused the skin to peel off their faces and temporary blindness, sources said.

    A representative for Abramovich confirmed earlier today the oligarch had suffered the reported symptoms but refused to give any further details.

    The Chelsea FC owner was allegedly poisoned just weeks ago after a meeting in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv whilst he acted as a peacemaker in the Russian war in Ukraine, reports the Wall Street Journal.

    Following the meeting in Kyiv on March 3, Abramovich as well as two senior members of the Ukrainian team developed symptoms that included red eyes, painful streaming eyes as well as peeling skin on their faces and hands, sources told the newspaper.

    Abramovich, who accepted a Ukrainian request to help negotiate an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, also ‘went blind for several hours’ and was treated at a hospital in Turkey, a source told The Guardian.

    Analysts at investigative news site Bellingcat confirmed that three members of the delegation – including Abramovich – attending the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on March 3 experienced ‘symptoms consistent with poisoning with chemical weapons’.

    Meanwhile, Shaun Walker of the Guardian said: “A source with direct knowledge has just confirmed to me the WSJ/Bellingcat reports that Abramovich suffered symptoms of poisoning. ‘Roman lost his sight for several hours’ and was treated in Turkey, the source said.”

    Abramovich, another Russian entrepreneur and Ukrainian MP Rustem Umerov had been taking part in the negotiations, with the talks lasting until about 10pm according to Bellingcat.

    Bellingcat investigator Christo Grozev, who was part of the team that concluded the Kremlin had poisoned Russian politician Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent in 2020, said he had seen the effects of the poisoning on Abramovich and the other negotiators.

    “It was not intended to kill, it was just a warning,” Grozev said.

    During Abramovich’s efforts in peace talks, the UK government sanctioned the billionaire and seized Chelsea Football Club as part of their action.

    Tribalfootball

  • Saudi Media’s bid to become next Chelsea owners rejected

    Saudi Media’s bid to become next Chelsea owners rejected

    Saudi Media are out of the race to buy Chelsea after being informed by the Raine Group that they would not be considered in a shortlist to purchase the club.

     

    Prospective buyers to learn if they have made a shortlist from Raine Group.

     

    The New York-based bank in charge of the sale whittled down offers that were submitted last week.

     

    The Saudi group is the first to confirm that they are not being considered to take over from Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch under UK government sanctions.

     

    The consortium led by Todd Boehly, a part-owner of the LA Dodgers, remains the frontrunner, according to sources.

     

    With the group featuring Sir Martin Broughton, they confident that they are progressing to the next stage.

     

     

    Earlier today Stephen Pagliuca, a part-owner of Serie A club Atalanta and NBA outfit Boston Celtics, become the latest name to feature among those to have registered a bid to buy the West London club.

    Pagliuca submitted a bid before last Friday’s deadline.

    It is unclear if he has partnered with any other individuals as part of the bid submitted to Raine.

    The 67-year-old is a co-chairman of the investment firm Bain Capital, which was founded by former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and sits on the Celtics’ executive committee.

     

    More intriguing for Chelsea supporters will be his association with Atalanta. Pagliuca was part of a consortium that purchased a 55% stake in the Bergamo club in early 2021.

    If he was to become an owner of Chelsea and the clubs were to meet in European competition, UEFA would have a conflict of interest concerns.

  • Roman Abramovich set to buy new club after UK sanction

    Roman Abramovich set to buy new club after UK sanction

    Departing Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is already being linked with a new club takeover.

    Abramovich saw Chelsea seized from him by the UK government after sanctioning the Russian billionaire after the invasion of Ukraine.

    Chelsea are now on the brink of being sold for over £3bn, though Abramovich will not see any of the money raised.

    His super yacht the L’Eclipse is currently docked in Turkey and CNN Turk is reporting talks are already underway about Abramovich buying local club Göztepe.

    Reps of Abramovich and the owner of Göztepe, Mehmet Sepil, have already opened negotiations about a club sale.

    …