Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is making “claims of conspiracy” against the Government of Jersey, it has emerged.

A spokesperson for the billionaire, who was sanctioned by the UK and Jersey governments in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said in a statement that a criminal investigation launched by the Jersey authorities against him was baseless.

In April 2022, the Royal Court of Jersey imposed a formal freezing order on $7 billion worth of assets in trusts which Jersey said were linked to Mr Abramovich, and Jersey’s Attorney General said that Abramovich was a suspect in a criminal investigation.

“No progress has been made”

On Sunday, a spokesperson for Mr Abramovich said: “No charges have been brought against Mr Abramovich in the 3.5 years since the investigation was commenced, and, to our knowledge, in fact no progress has been made on this case.

“Mr Abramovich was allowed earlier this year to introduce claims of conspiracy against the Government of Jersey.”

Following queries from Express in September about the current stage of the investigation into the sanctioned Russian oligarch, Jersey’s Law Officers’ Department said it was “unable to comment on live investigations”.

‘Paralysed’ funds

And last week Mr Abramovich accused Jersey authorities of “paralysing” his company structures and blocking the release of money he pledged to donate to those affected by the Ukraine war.

It is not the first time that the Island has been subject to headlines involving Mr Abramovich.

In 2023, the States of Jersey Police were ordered to pay tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees to lawyers representing parties with alleged links to the oligarch after carrying out unlawful searches.

At the time, then-Chief Minister Kristina Moore commissioned a review after it emerged that search warrants – used by police officers seconded to the Economic Crime and Confiscation Unit to raid two properties in April 2022 – were obtained unlawfully.

The raids preceded a freeze of more than $7bn-worth of assets suspected to be connected to Mr Abramovich, through a Royal Court order known as a ‘saisie judiciaire’.

Express‘s sister publication, the Jersey Evening Post, reported in 2018 that Mr Abramovich had been granted high-net-worth residency rights.

Follow Express for updates…