The oligarchs on the Western sanctions lists continue to enjoy their life of luxury. For example, a super sports car was seen in front of the 5-star hotel La Reserve Genève on Saturday. It is a dark blue Maserati MC 12 that belongs to the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. Last week, Abramovich challenged EU sanctions imposed on him, arguing that the restrictions were imposed simply because he is a well-known Russian.
“My colleagues saw Abramovich yesterday,” said the news scout who photographed the Maserati. The license plate and the color of the car would prove that this is his car In fact, Abramovich has been spotted several times in the past in his dark blue Maserati MC 12 with a Vaud license plate.
The 56-year-old Roman Abramovich is probably the best-known Russian oligarch. He was very comfortable in Switzerland with his companies for a long time. Meanwhile, he – just like a large group of other oligarchs and people close to the Kremlin – is also a target of sanctions by Switzerland and the EU. Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea Football Club, was sanctioned in March last year for allegedly benefiting from his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and contributing to the Kremlin’s war chest through his economic activities. The EU’s measures include asset freezes and visa bans.
Abramovich had several million in various accounts at UBS until at least shortly before the outbreak of the Ukraine war. This was although the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) already suspected him of money laundering in 2018 and classified him as a “reputational risk for Switzerland.” Since March 2022, he has been on the EU sanctions list due to allegations of proximity to Putin.
Abramovich sold the English Premier League club for the highest price ever for a football team. The Russian steel tycoon was one of the first individuals sanctioned by the EU. He wants that decision annulled and the Council of the EU to pay €1 million to make up for damages to his reputation.
