Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire best known for his former ownership of Chelsea Football Club, is once again at the center of international scrutiny. Jersey authorities are conducting a far-reaching investigation into suspected money laundering tied to the oligarch’s vast fortune, with recent court records revealing the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars through Swiss bank accounts and offshore companies. The probe adds a new layer to the complex financial history of Abramovich, whose wealth and political connections have long attracted global attention.

The most recent revelations stem from a series of Swiss court judgments issued in May 2024 and obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The judgments show that Jersey prosecutors are investigating Abramovich in relation to payments he allegedly made in the 1990s to maintain control over the Russian oil giant Sibneft, a company he co-founded during Russia’s chaotic privatization era.

Although the judgments anonymized Abramovich as “G,” the background details – including Sibneft’s $13 billion sale to Gazprom in 2005 – left little doubt about his identity. The documents describe suspicions that “corruption payments” were made in the 1990s, after which proceeds from the eventual sale of Sibneft were funneled into accounts controlled by offshore companies linked to Abramovich, including entities registered in Jersey, Cyprus, and the British Virgin Islands.

Swiss prosecutors were asked by Jersey authorities to assist in the probe, and in 2023 and 2024 they ordered a Swiss bank to hand over records from at least three companies tied to Abramovich’s network. These companies attempted........

© Blitz