Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich posed threat to public security, Swiss police said

Switzerland’s federal police advised that the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich posed a “threat to public security and a reputational risk” to the country if he became a resident, it has emerged.

The Chelsea football club owner on Tuesday lost a seven-month legal battle against a newspaper publisher to prevent the publication of information on the reasons for his failure to secure Swiss residency.

The battle between Abramovich and the Zurich publisher Tamedia began in February after the group obtained details of a letter written by police, who were asked by the state migration secretariat to give their view on whether the oligarch should be allowed to move to the canton of Valais.

Abramovich, who owns a £90 million (US$118 million) mansion in Kensington Palace Gardens, London, had applied for Swiss residency in July 2016, hoping to make the exclusive ski resort of Verbier his official home.

However, after a detailed review of the files concerning one of the world’s richest men, police raised a number of concerns.

According to Tamedia, police reported that Abramovich was known for “suspicion of money laundering and presumed contacts with criminal organisations”.