Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been accused of dodging millions in tax payments as part of a scheme around his fleet of superyachts.
Abramovich, who was sanctioned by the UK in March 2022 over his connection to Vladimir Putin's regime and forced to sell the Stamford Bridge club, purchased five luxury yachts in the 2000s that were involved in the tax scheme, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Lawyers acting on Abramovich's behalf said in a statement that he had "always obtained independent expert professional tax and legal advice" and "acted in accordance" with it.
Since the sanctions the billionaire has been dividing his time between Istanbul, Tel Aviv and Sochi while the yachts have been stationed.
In June 2023, after Istanbul hosted the Champions League final won by Manchester City, Mirror Football explored the area in which Abramovich had been renting a gated complex.
According to the head of the Istanbul Real Estate Brokers Club the former Chelsea owner started paying $50,000 (£40,000) a month for a house owned by the stock market player Ahmet Okumus in late 2022. Okumus purchased the property for an estimated $25m (£20m) just over a decade ago.
Since then, however, CNN Turkey have reported that Abramovich has purchased a property in the Vanikoy district. Though the exact location of the house is unclear and those inside the billionaire's circle has refused to confirm it is now his residence
As first reported by the Telegraph, the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change has criticised "unauthorised construction activities" of a helipad at the property, which is in the protected "Bosphorus foreview area." The government ordered the helipad to be demolished in September.
The house was previously reportedly owned by Adnan Oktar, an Islamic televangelist and cult leader jailed in 2022 for leading a criminal gang and the sexual abuse of minors.
Then there are the yachts. His Eclispe superyacht remains moored at the marina in Marmaris, on Turkey's southwest coast. The Solaris yacht last moved in May 2024 and is docked at the Gocek Port marina.
Abramovich has also spent some time in Tel Aviv - he holds and Israeli passport - and Moscow, though suggestions have been made that his relationship with Putin has strained since 2022.
He played some role in failed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, while he was allegedly the victim of an alleged poisoning in 2023. As ever with a man who was protected from the limelight at the peak of his powers, both cases remain shrouded in a degree of mystery.
What can be said with certainty is attempts to have his sanctions repealed have failed with the European Union's court in Brussels dismissing him out of hand. He also remains under sanction in the United States.