BILLIONAIRE MIGRATION
Swiss police opposed Abramovich residency bid
Geneva — Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich had sought to move to Switzerland but withdrew his residency bid when it looked set to be rejected, a Swiss migration official said on Wednesday. The saga surrounding the Chelsea Football Club owner’s attempt to relocate to the wealthy Alpine nation was first reported by the Tribune de Geneve (TdG) newspaper, which claimed that Abramovich was turned away after Swiss police claimed he posed a security risk. Abramovich had applied for residency in Valais canton, which includes the luxury ski resort of Verbier, Jacques de Lavallaz, the head of the cantonal migration service, told AFP in an e-mail. Valais gave Abramovich the green light, De Lavallaz said, but federal authorities have the final say on Swiss migration decisions. "The [federal] secretariat of migration was going to make a negative decision but Mr Abramovich’s representatives withdrew their client’s application before a decision was issued," De Lavallaz said. The migration secre...
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