British government to sue Abramovich over Chelsea sale cash

Years after he was forced out of the club he loved, the UK government has threatened to sue former Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich to make sure the money from the club's sale goes to Ukraine.

The £2.5bn (Approximately Sh342 billion) in proceeds have been frozen in a UK bank account since the sale, with Mr Abramovich sanctioned after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The UK government wants the money to be for Ukrainian humanitarian aid, but Abramovich has said he wants it to go to "all victims of the war in Ukraine".

In a joint statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy were adamant that they will use the court process if they don't strike an agreement with Abramovich.

"The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion.

"We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far."

Abramovich, a Russian billionaire who made his fortune in oil and gas, was granted a special licence to sell Chelsea following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, providing he could prove he would not benefit from the sale.

He is alleged to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, something he has denied.

He cannot access the £2.5bn sale proceeds under UK sanctions, but the money still legally belongs to him.

When he announced his decision to sell the club, he said proceeds from the sale would be donated via a foundation "for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine", which would include those in Russia.

The UK government has pushed back and argued that the funds should only be spent on humanitarian efforts inside Ukraine. He sold the club to Clearlake Capital, who were then led by Todd Boehly and his Behdad Eghbali.