The US handed over to Cyprus an 800-page dossier on people and companies that violated EU and UK sanctions and collaborated with Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov. The President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, announced the receipt of the data, reports The Guardian.
According to the President of Cyprus, this is only the first of at least three reports prepared by the US authorities. According to the publication, the investigation began in April. The listed Cypriot citizens and companies provided services to Usmanov in violation of sanctions and helped manage his estate Sutton Place in Surrey, according to The Guardian. The dossier should contribute to the punishment of Cypriot legal entities and individuals.
On April 12, several legal entities and individuals of Cyprus were included in the US and UK sanctions lists on suspicion of facilitating the business operations of sanctioned Russians. Then Britain imposed sanctions against corporate lawyers Christodoulos Vassiliades and Demetris Ioannides. According to the authorities, Vassiliades collaborated with Usmanov, but he himself denies this information. Ioannides, in turn, provided services to Roman Abramovich.
Alisher Usmanov is in 7th place in the ranking of the richest businessmen in Russia. In 2022, the entrepreneur entered the Top 250 richest people in the UK, he earned a fortune of £ 14 billion in the mining and metallurgical industry. Usmanov – co-owner Russian concern USM Holdings, a conglomerate with interests in the mining industry and owner of the second largest mobile operator in Russia, MegaFon. He is also the owner of a large stake in the London football club Arsenal.
Usmanov is considered a figure close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The United States and Great Britain imposed sanctions against the businessman after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His property, including the superyacht and the aircraft, was seized, he was banned from entering Britain, and all assets were frozen. Only Latvia imposed sanctions against his wife, Viner-Usmanova: she was banned from entering the country and put on the list of undesirable persons. The oligarch filed a lawsuit against the EU Council in the European Court of General Jurisdiction in order to achieve the lifting of personal EU sanctions. He asked the court to suspend the sanctions until the decision of the judge, Bloomberg reported.
