Switzerland decided it was under threat from Abramovich
The Swiss Federal Police believes that Russian businessman Roman Abramovich could pose a “threat to public safety” and cause reputational damage to the country if he receives a residence permit, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger found out about this. writes the English The Guardian.
The article comes after the businessman lost a legal battle against Swiss media group Tamedia, which owns several daily and weekly newspapers and magazines, including Tages-Anzeiger. Abramovich demanded that the publication of this information be prohibited. The trial has been going on since February.
The country's migration service contacted the Swiss police, intending to find out the position of law enforcement agencies on granting Abramovich a residence permit. The police, according to the newspaper, responded that there were “suspicions of money laundering and possible contacts with criminal structures” against Abramovich, and that his assets in the country were “at least partially of illegal origin.”
The Guardian notes that the suspicions mentioned in the police response are not confirmed by any court documents, and Abramovich has not been formally charged with any violations by the Swiss authorities.
This spring, another publication, part of the Tamedia holding, Le Matin Dimanche, wrote about Abramovich’s unsuccessful attempt to obtain a residence permit in Switzerland. The article said that Abramovich submitted his application back in July 2016.
The head of the migration service of the canton of Valais, Jacques Delavallaz, told the publication that “Roman Abramovich had interests in Valais.”
“Given the size of his finances, the municipality is interested in him as a taxpayer, we issued a positive conclusion,” the publication quoted him as saying. However, a year later, the businessman “unexpectedly” withdrew his application, the article said.
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