Roman Abramovich was blocked from obtaining Swiss residency over suspicions he was involved in money laundering and in contact with criminal organisations, according to allegations made public for the first time yesterday.
The Russian billionaire and owner of Chelsea Football Club denied the allegations, describing them as "entirely false".
The51-year-old Abramovich has faced difficulties obtaining permission to live in more than one country of late.
He reportedly withdrew an application to renew his UK visa this year after it came under scrutiny and was delayed. A few months earlier, he had similarly dropped an attempt to obtain residency in Switzerland.
At the time the Swiss press was blocked from reporting details of the case after Abramovich won an injunction in the Swiss courts, but details of the allegations were published after a Swiss media group succeeded in having the injunction overturned.
They include allegations that Abramovich was involved in money laundering in Geneva in the 90s and that some of his estimated US$11 billion ($16.5b) fortune may have been illegally obtained.
Abramovich applied for Swiss residency in 2016, according to the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
It said the Swiss Federal Police evaluated Abramovich as a danger to Switzerland's international reputation and a potential security risk.
