David Lammy vows to unlock £2.3bn of frozen funds from Chelsea sale

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UK Foreign Minister David Lami has pledged to take over the “work” that could include a legal case for the liberalization of 2.3 billion pounds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich more than two years ago.

The funds, which the UK government freezes and wanted to be transferred to Ukraine, was sitting in the bank account for custom confidence over the past two years, while talking about how exactly used the money.

“I am frustrated because this did not happen, it is the truth – and that the money must be distributed, it must be used,” Lami told the Financial Times in Tokyo. He said he turns into a “approach directed towards movement” to try to break Logjam.

He stressed that “the first instinct is not a lawsuit” because this road “takes time”, although the people familiar with his thinking said that going to the court to resolve this case is one of the options on the table. Reaching a deal with the institution that will be created to deal with other funds remains.

Although he acknowledged the existence of “legal complications” on this issue, he pledged: “I am determined to see that the money comes out of the door and made everything I can to achieve this.”

The position of the UK government was to spend the money in Ukraine, while the Foundation-which includes former CEO of UNICEF in the United Kingdom Mike Pinrose-pushed flexibility to support the refugees who fled the war.

In a message on Chelsea on the Internet in March 2022-in the same month that was punished by the United Kingdom-Abramovich said the Foundation will be “for the benefit of all war victims in Ukraine”, including “providing critical money towards urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as support for long-term work for recovery.”

Lammy’s intervention comes as Kiev faces an escalation of pressure after the United States stopped all military aid. Quoting “urgent the moment” and the need to intensify efforts to help Ukraine, he said: “I look at this issue with interest.”

The Foreign Minister also supported the idea of ​​a new multilateral defense bank this week, to help the United Kingdom and Europe fund their defenses.

“This government is working hard to ensure the revenue of the sale of Chelsea Fox that reaches humanitarian reasons in Ukraine as soon as possible. Revenue is currently being frozen in a bank account in the United Kingdom while a new independent institution is established to manage and distribute money.

“UK officials continue to hold discussions with representatives of Mr. Abramovich, experts and international partners, and we will double our efforts to reach a solution.”

Actor of Abramovich did not immediately respond to the comment.