The former Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich is the subject of a criminal investigation by the Jersey authorities over allegations of corruption and money laundering in connection with the original source of his billions, according to court documents. According to the Swiss rulings, Jersey investigators are looking into the very origins of the oligarch’s wealth, acquired during the chaotic, freewheeling rise of capitalism in Russia in the 1990s and 2000s. Although the Swiss rulings anonymise names, they disclose other details about the parties and circumstances. The Jersey authorities believe the money found its way into various bank accounts, of which the oligarch was the beneficiary. Lawyers for the companies in the dispute have argued that Jersey’s investigation was “politically motivated”, according to the Swiss rulings.
