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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Peter Walker

Why has Roman Abramovich not been hit with UK sanctions before?

Roman Abramovich with then Chelsea chairman Ken Bates in 2003
Roman Abramovich with then Chelsea chairman Ken Bates in 2003, when he bought the football club. Photograph: Vismedia

Roman Abramovich has been a prominent and controversial figure since 2003, when he bought Chelsea football club, and the document imposing sanctions on him cites contracts he received before the 2018 World Cup. So why has nothing happened before now?

There are various reasons, but much it boils down to one key factor: such things take time, especially when compiling what officials stress has to be a “legally watertight” case against someone with access to extremely expensive lawyers.

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