Portugal: Blocks Sale of 10 Million Villa Allegedly Owned by Abramovich

Portugal blocks 10m-euro luxury home sale over “strong belief” it belongs to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovichsaid today the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joao Cravinio.

At the request of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Portuguese authorities took restrictive measures from 25 March to prevent the property, located in the Algavre resort, from being sold, rented or mortgaged.

“We have a strong belief, which has not been fully confirmed, that the residence belongs to Roman Abramovich,” said the Portuguese foreign minister on the sidelines of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Berlin. “The problem here is that many of the people who have been sanctioned do not have their property in their name.”

According to the Publico newspaper, which revealed the matter, the former Chelsea owner tried to sell the house 15 days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine through Millhouse Views LLC, based in Delaware, owned by Millhouse LLC, the which manages its assets.

However, Abramovich’s spokesman told Reuters that the Russian oligarch had no property in Portugal and that Millhouse Views LCC has nothing to do with it.

“In fact, we have never heard of this company,” he added.

Portugal’s largest bank, the General Deposit Box, found the moves for the sale of the property and notified the authorities, according to Publico. The bank declined to comment.

The European Union and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on Roman Abramovich over his relations with Vladimir Putin. He denies having an affair with him.

Abramovich received Portuguese citizenship in April 2021 under a law offering citizenship to the descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the late 15th century.

However, the existence of Sephardic Jews in Russia is not known.

The case sparked outrage in Portugal and led to the arrest of a rabbi responsible for issuing the certificate that allowed Abramovich to obtain Portuguese citizenship.

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