Abramovich Reportedly Trying to Challenge EU's Ukraine-Related Sanctions Against Him

LONDON (Sputnik) - Russian businessman and ex-owner of British football club Chelsea Roman Abramovich has made legal submissions to the European Union, and, supposedly, the UK government, to challenge the sanctions which he claims were imposed on him based on "false and unfounded declarations," The Times reported on Wednesday, citing legal papers.

The EU sanctioned Abramovich in March over his alleged "close ties" and "privileged access" to Russian President Vladimir Putin which allegedly helped him accumulate wealth, as part of Ukraine-related sanctions. The EU also said that the Kremlin benefitted from taxes paid by steel group Evraz, of which Abramovich is a shareholder.

"Mr Abramovich does not have a privileged relationship with President Putin in order to maintain his wealth and does not benefit from Russian decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea or the destabilisation of Ukraine," the businessman's submission read, as quoted in the report.

The businessman's lawyers wrote that he had acquired his wealth before Putin became president and has numerous times refuted financial links to the Russian government in courts.

With regard to taxes, Abramovich revealed paying more taxes in the UK and the EU than in Russia in an unprecedented act of transparency about his finances, the newspaper said. Moreover, his lawyers said that the businessman has invested 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) of private funds in the UK and used to employ almost 1,000 people at Chelsea Football Club and his other businesses, as cited in the report.

The legal submission had an attachment of a letter from Davyd Arakhamia, Ukraine's negotiator at now-stalled peace talks with Russia, in which he praised Abramovich's "positive role" in the negotiations.

Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale in March due to sanctions. He had owned the football club since 2003.