A Russian billionaire sanctioned by the UK says he no longer owns many former properties, potentially putting them beyond the reach of the law.
Ex-Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov's £82m London home and Surrey mansion were put into trusts linked to the oligarch.
This raises questions over the effectiveness of sanctions imposed since the invasion of Ukraine began.
The UK government says Mr Usmanov "cannot access his assets".
On 3 March, seven days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Alisher Usmanov was added to the list of sanctioned Russian businessmen.
His assets were frozen, he was banned from visiting the UK, and British citizens and businesses were banned from dealing with him.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “We will hit oligarchs and individuals closely associated with the Putin regime and his barbarous war.”
The government said sanctions would cut him off from “significant UK interests including mansions worth tens of millions”.
But this is now in doubt because Mr Usmanov’s spokesman says he is no longer the legal owner of many of those assets.
Born in Uzbekistan in the Soviet Union, Alisher Usmanov, 68, owns USM Holdings, a huge conglomerate involved in mining and telecoms, including Russia's second biggest mobile network MegaFon.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60825983