The British government has been asked to investigate whether Man City owner Sheikh Mansour helped sanctioned Russians move their assets to the UAE.
Lawyers representing a Ukrainian activist have written to Foreign Minister James Cleverly asking whether investigations have been carried out into whether UAE Deputy Prime Minister Mansour should be identified as a ‘designated person’ subject to financial sanctions under the Russia (Sanctions) (Exit from the EU) Regulations 2019.
The activist called for an investigation into whether Man City owner Sheikh Mansour helped Russian oligarchs, who are currently under government sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to transfer their assets to the United Arab Emirates.
Last week, the British government said more than 1,800 people had been sanctioned under the regulations, including more than 1,600 since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including the former owner of Chelsea, Roman Abramovich, whose assets were frozen as he sought to sell the club.
A first letter regarding Mansour was sent to Cleverly in September 2022 by lawyers. A new letter has been sent on behalf of the Ukrainian activist, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from Russia.
The new letter states the following: “Sheikh Mansour is a particularly high-profile individual and, as the owner of one of the UK’s most famous football clubs, he is someone who should be subject to reasonable scrutiny. from the British government.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we make no allegations regarding the specific conduct of Sheikh Mansour. Nevertheless, in light of the abundance of evidence in the public domain tending to link Sheikh Mansour to the harboring of wealthy Russians in the UAE, we respectfully suggest that there is a prima facie basis for the UK government conduct an investigation.
According to some reports, the foreign minister can only designate a person if he has reasonable grounds to suspect them of being a “person involved” in the destabilization of Ukraine. Involvement is defined as a person who responds to, engages in, supports or promotes any policy or action that destabilizes Ukraine or undermines or threatens its territorial integrity.
If Sheikh Mansour was designated as a person subject to government regulation, he would be disqualified as an owner under the Premier League’s updated rules on owners and directors, which were published in March 2023.
