The sanctioned businessman’s assets in the country have been frozen since 2022
Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire and former owner of Chelsea FC, may owe the British exchequer up to £1 billion ($1.2 billion) in unpaid taxes, according to analyses of leaked documents and court filings cited by UK media on Wednesday. Abramovich was sanctioned by London in 2022 after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict and his assets in the country remain frozen.
The investigation, conducted by The Guardian, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and the BBC, claims to show his companies “potentially” failed to pay taxes on profits generated through an intricate offshore investment scheme, according to the media.
Abramovich reportedly channeled nearly half of his fortune–approximately $6 billion–into more than 200 hedge funds via a complex structure involving Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Despite being registered offshore, these investments appear to have been managed by Eugene Shvidler, a senior executive based in the UK since 2004. If key investment decisions were made in Britain, Abramovich’s companies could face a tax liability exceeding £500 million, which could rise to £1 billion when interest and penalties are factored in.
The leaked documents suggest that between 2004 and 2018, profits from this offshore structure could amount to $3.8 billion. If British tax authorities determine that these profits were subject to UK taxation, the potential unpaid tax could amount to £536 million. Additional interest and penalties for late payment could increase the total liability to between £651 million and £1 billion.
Chelsea FC, which Abramovich owned from 2003 until he was sanctioned, may have benefited from these hedge fund investments. One of the companies involved in the scheme reportedly lent money to other entities within Abramovich’s business empire, some of which financed the London football club. The Russian businessman did not receive any proceeds from the nearly $5 billion sale of Chelsea FC in 2022, due to sanctions.
The revelations have prompted calls for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), UK’s tax authority, to conduct a thorough investigation. Joe Powell, chair of UK Parliament’s cross-party group on responsible tax practices, stated, “I’d like to see HMRC thoroughly investigate whether corporation tax or any other taxes are owed by Abramovich on these operations.”
In response to these allegations, Abramovich’s lawyers stated that he has always acted in accordance with professional tax advice and have denied any personal responsibility for any alleged failure to pay due taxes.
Abramovich, who holds Russian, Israeli, and Portuguese citizenship, was sanctioned over his alleged ties to the Kremlin by the UK, EU, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland in 2022, following the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He has protested his innocence and denied reaping benefits from the conflict. The billionaire has acted as a mediator between Moscow and Kiev on several occasions and was seen at Türkiye-backed peace talks in March 2022, which produced a draft truce.
Abramovich made his fortune mostly through the oil and commodity trade in the 1990s and served as the governor of the remote Chukotka Region in the extreme northern part of Russia’s Far East in the 2000s.
