Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been described as a kleptocrat who must face sanctions in parliament after prime minister Boris Johnson announced that the assets of three Russian oligarchs and five banks will be frozen following the escalation of tensions in Ukraine.
Dame Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP for Barking, named the West London club’s owner and former Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov among a group who should be considered as “kleptocrats who have stolen from the Russian people” and face penalties with president Vladimir Putin on the brink of a full scale invasion.
In response Johnson said that the sanctions announced today are “just part of the first barrage”and “Abramovich is already facing sanctions.”
