Filenews 13 April 2023 - by Fanis Makrides
Ten Greek Cypriots have been included in British and US sanctions lists over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The start was made yesterday with two Greek Cypriots, who are active in the service sector for well-known foreign investors. Dimitris Ioannidis and Christodoulos Vassiliadis. The latter pay for their professional relationship with oligarchs Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov. The two Russian multimillionaires are also under sanctions. This is because of their alleged relationship with the Putin regime.
Later in the day, the U.S. Treasury Department (OFAC) said it had imposed sanctions on individuals and entities indirectly linked to support for individuals or companies allegedly aiding the Kremlin. Among them are nine Greek Cypriots, including Christodoulos Vassiliadis.
The reason the British decided to take action against Mr Ioannides is his professional cooperation with Roman Abramovich. The Greek Cypriot businessman is a financial services provider. A note from the British Foreign Office justifying sanctions against Mr Ioannidis said on Tuesday was prompted by the "murky offshore structures" Abramovich used to hide assets of more than £760m to avoid sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. These include a £90m mansion in west London.
However, Western agencies in recent times have dealt with Roman Abramovich several times. The publication of "F" on June 9, 2022 is indicative. As we noted at the time, US federal agents after their investigation concluded that Cyprus was behind the Russian tycoon's luxury jets, worth $410 million. An FBI agent had concluded after an investigation that the assets in question were registered in a Cypriot shell company. At the time, there was talk of "The Europa Settlement Trust" based in Cyprus. Abramovich presented himself as the sole beneficiary, while the latter, according to the Americans, has entrusted his control to the Cypriot Finservus. Besides, according to recent reports (early April) in the Washington Post and a consortium of investigative journalists, the tycoon former major shareholder of Chelsea, acted as Vladimir Putin's personal banker, using hidden funds in Cyprus. N.P. Gemini Holdings Ltd appeared to be behind the case.
As for the case of the well-known lawyer, Christodoulos Vassiliadis, the British claim that he is "at the heart of a network of trusts and offshore companies" related to Usmanov. Through this network, the Azer-Russian businessman attempted to conceal ownership of the historic 16th-century English mansion Sutton Place. The villa in question now appears to belong to companies owned by Vassiliadis.
According to the Guardian, Ioannides and Vassiliadis declined to comment when asked for comment yesterday. Usmanovic's company said in a written statement that it intends to reverse a decision to impose sanctions against it by legal means. Abramovich has long appealed in court against sanctions imposed on him by the European Union.
The new wave of US sanctions also included Kyriakos Attikouris, Marilena Georgiou, Costas Giannakou, Kyriaki Kamberi, Dimitrios Sergidis, Antonis Vakanas, Anna Maria Vassiliadis, Christodoulos Vassiliadis and George Vassiliadis. Sanctions were also imposed on six persons of Russian origin who have obtained a Cypriot passport: Gulbakhor Ismailova, Vakhtang Kocharov, Gulnoz Kocharova, Varvara Skoch, Natalia Streshinskaya, Vladimir Streshinskiy. The list includes another 18 Cypriot companies.
