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The External Relations Minister has reiterated the island's commitment to "all measures" under the UK-Russia sanctions regime following claims that a Jersey-registered company received funds from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, and in turn helped to finance a Dutch football club.
Deputy Ian Gorst said that the island would "not hesitate" to take targeted measures to prevent local financial service providers or structures from "being abused".
His comments came after the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and The Guardian reported that they had seen leaked documents, allegedly showing that Jersey-registered company Matteson Overseas Limited received funds from Mr Abramovich.
Mr Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK and Jersey in March 2022 in response to the war in Ukraine.
Jersey Financial Services Commission records show that Matteson was registered in December 2020 at 50 La Colomberie, where it is administered by financial services firm Zedra – which has offices in several global locations. Zedra declined to respond to a request for comment.
It also lists Valery Oyf, who is the owner of Vitesse Arnhem football club, as a director.
Mr Oyf was previously a senior figure at Russian oil company Sibneft and has been described in international media as a close associate of Mr Abramovich.
Pictured: Matteson Overseas Limited is registered in Jersey.
In 2020, he bought a mansion in Ouaisné Bay with his wife Yulia Makeyeva, an artist based in Jersey.
While Mr Abramovich is not named on any JFSC records, TBIJ's report claims that Mr Abramovich "almost entirely bankrolled Matteson".
It added that: "Abramovich’s companies loaned Matteson nearly $200m, which was then almost entirely invested in other entities linked to the oligarch and his asset management company, Millhouse Capital."
It also alleges that profits generated were "used to pay off loan debt and fund further ventures", including Vitesse Arnhem – which was recently reported to have lost its pro-football licence, with the Dutch football association citing incomplete documents relating to its finances.
Jersey's External Relations Minister has previously highlighted an expectation for island businesses to "conform fully" with the sanctions regime and to "give careful thought to their business risks and any continuing connections with Russia".
In a recent update, Deputy Gorst confirmed the total of locally frozen assets under the regime was now nearly £1.4bn.
Asked by Express if any action would be taken in light of the alleged new link between Mr Abramovich and Jersey, Deputy Gorst said: "We cannot comment on individual cases, however Jersey implements all measures under the UK-Russia sanctions regulations."
Pictured: External Relations Minister Ian Gorst stressed that Jersey "implements all measures under the UK-Russia sanctions regulations".
Deputy Gorst continued: “We remain in close and regular contact with our partners in the UK on sanctions and other matters concerning the combatting of financial crime.
“Jersey will not hesitate to take targeted measures to prevent Jersey service providers or structures being abused.”
Express also asked the JFSC for comment regarding Matteson Overseas Limited but was told by a spokesperson that the regulator was "not able to comment on individual or entity matters".
The spokesperson added: "Matters relating to implementing sanctions rest with the Minister of External Relations Department (the Financial Sanctions Implementation Unit).”
Jersey has been linked to Mr Abramovich on several occasions in recent years.
In 2018, it emerged that Roman Abramovich was due to move to the island, after being offered residency under the high-value scheme run by Locate Jersey officials.
However, that move was held up after the Chelsea FC owner’s UK visa renewal – something vital for the move – hit delays amid heightened scrutiny of wealthy Russians in the wake of the poisoning of former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.
It later emerged that Mr Abramovich had been denied residency in Switzerland. He was later given Israeli citizenship.
It was revealed in April 2022 that the ownership of a superyacht linked to Roman Abramovich was transferred to a Jersey company on the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the same month, police raided premises in Jersey suspected to be connected to his business activities, and assets totalling more than $7 billion suspected to be connected to him were also frozen.
However, in November of that year, the raid was confirmed to have been unlawful, and Chief Minister Deputy Kristina Moore ordered an independent 'lessons learned' review.
In June 2022, a US bid to seize two planes worth more than $400m from Abramovich exposed more of the former Chelsea FC owner’s links to Jersey.
In September 2023, another Jersey link emerged – this time via a $1bn art collection, including works by Monet, Matisse and Picasso.
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