An investigation has been launched into Abramovich's passport

An investigation has been launched in Portugal into granting Portuguese citizenship to Russian oligarch and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. It will be run by the Portuguese Registry and Notary Institute (IRN), which provides citizenship and passport services.

The scrutiny was sparked by criticism from activists, experts and politicians calling for a revision of the Return Act, which they say is being used by third-country oligarchs who want to stay in the EU.

According to Forbes, Roman Abramovich is ranked 12th on the list of the richest Russian businessmen, with a fortune estimated at $ 14.5 billion. As a spokesman for the billionaire's asset management company, Millhouse, noted earlier, Abramovich became a Portuguese citizen in early 2022, thanks to Portugal's Return Act, which allows descendants of Sephardic Jews and Jews to convert to Christianity. ) to obtain Portuguese citizenship.



The Portuguese daily Público reported that Abramovich's Sephardic origins were recently listed in the electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia by a member of the Jewish community in Porto. The newspaper also claims that Abramovich gave money to the same community for the recently opened Holocaust Museum. Its director is a member of the commission that processes applications for proof of Sephardic origin, the publication writes.

In its written statement, the Jewish community described these criticisms as anti-Semitic incitement. This was shown by the fact that the newspaper published its article on Saturday, when the Jews celebrate the Sabbath - so that they could not react immediately.

The Jewish community has denied allegations of bribery and said Abramovich paid only 250 euros in fees for processing the documents. The declaration recalled Abramovich's philanthropic work and said he was now unjustly demonized.

The Portuguese passport is Abramovich's third - he also has Russian and Israeli citizenship. And with his new European passport, he can now travel wherever a Russian oligarch's passport does not open.