Confusion surrounds Roman Abramovich’s Swiss residency request
Abramovitch's assets include several luxury yachts
Keystone
Russian billionaire owner of Chelsea football club Roman Abramovich wanted to set up home near Verbier, Canton Valais, in 2016 but withdrew his application a year later after a negative preliminary response from federal authorities in Bern, report two Sunday newspapers.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/jc
Le Matin Dimanche and SonntagsZeitung say they know the reason why Abramovich withdrew his application but are prevented from publishing it because of a court order obtained by the billionaire in Zurich.
“Our editorial team will continue fighting to get the ban lifted on this information, which we consider to be in the public interest,” the papers say.
According to their report, Abramovich received a positive preliminary decision on his residence request from authorities in Valais. This was confirmed to the Swiss News Agency, ATS, by Jacques de Lavallaz, head of the cantonal immigration service.
However, when the file was transferred to Bern it was provisionally rejected by the federal authorities. Abramovich was granted the right to a hearing, after which he withdrew his request, according to Lavallaz. But he said the Valais authorities did not know the reason for Bern’s decision.
Le Matin Dimanche says this case puts the spotlight on “exceptional residence permits for rich foreigners” which Switzerland can grant in rare cases considered “of major public interest” – generally, their potential tax contributions.
It says that in the last ten years 578 people have got such permits. One of them is Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, whose presence in Canton St. Gallen has been controversial. Socialist members of the cantonal parliament considered that the tax revenues were not a sufficient reason to grant residence compared with the possible risk to reputation represented by a Russian oligarch.
Abramovich is 139th on the Forbes list of the world’s richest people, with assets worth some $9 billion, according to Le Matin Dimanche. The paper also noted that he is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Swiss price watchdog negotiates lower fees for card payments
This content was published on
Small businesses in Switzerland will have to pay fewer fees for cashless payments from customers over the next few years.
Lakes in Central Switzerland have best water quality for bathing
This content was published on
Anyone who swims in a lake in Central Switzerland need have no fear of infection from intestinal bacteria. The water samples taken at 65 bathing sites in 13 lakes all have good to excellent bathing water quality.
This content was published on
Unknown assailants have stolen a historic ring from a Basel museum. The stolen item was a gift from Russian Tsar Alexander I to his host in Basel in 1814.
More May hotel guests in Basel than at any time in past 90 years
This content was published on
Basel hotels recorded 150,854 overnight stays for the Eurovision Song Contest in May. This corresponds to a year-on-year increase of 8.4%.
Demand remains high for rental flats in Switzerland
This content was published on
More rental flats are once again being advertised on property portals in Switzerland. However, demand also remains very high.
One in five Europeans exposed to too much traffic noise
This content was published on
More than one in five Europeans are exposed to unhealthily high levels of traffic noise, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
New living space through densification often comes at expense of the poor
This content was published on
If demolition and new construction are carried out and tenants have to make way, low-income households are affected more often than average.
This content was published on
The ceasefire in the Iran-Israel war has visibly eased tensions on the financial markets. The SMI, Switzerland's leading stock market index, has risen above the 12,000 point mark again.
This content was published on
The rich and famous have herded to Switzerland for generations to sample the stunning alpine landscape, first-class services and elbow room granted by the naturally reserved population. Since 1862, many non-domiciled residents, such as former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, have also enjoyed special tax breaks offered by certain cantons. The lump sum (or forfait) tax…
Defining the 25% foreign population in Switzerland
This content was published on
For the first time, Switzerland has 2 million foreigners living in its midst. But just who exactly are they? These graphics offer an explanation.
This content was published on
Voters have rejected an initiative calling for an end to tax breaks for wealthy foreigners nationwide. Some 59% of voters threw out the proposal.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.