Rahman Ravelli outlines Roman Abramovich’s sanctions situation to the BBC

With sanctions on Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich restricting his financial options, the BBC asked Rahman Ravelli for their analysis.

Rahman Ravelli explained how the Russian billionaire is affected by the sanctions, which are part of the UK government’s efforts to target those with links to Vladimir Putin’s regime following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sanctioned individuals are able to apply for licences that enable their bank to release specific payments to cover what are classed as basic needs.

But Rahman Ravelli told the BBC that such licence applications can take several weeks, if not longer. They pointed out that while the government has indicated that it would be willing to fast track licence applications regarding Chelsea FC, this does not appear to be likely for Mr Abramovich’s other assets.

Rahman Ravelli added that Mr Abramovich "would likely need to engage a lawyer located in a jurisdiction where he is not yet sanctioned".

Rahman Ravelli's comments are featured on the BBC News website.