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Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich had tried to move to Switzerland, but withdrew his candidacy for residence while he was about to be rejected, said a Swiss migration official on Wednesday.
The saga surrounding the Chelsea owner's attempt to relocate to the wealthy Alpine nation was first reported by the Tribune newspaper in Geneva (TdG), who claimed that Abramovich had been turned away after the Swiss police said that it represented a security risk.
Abramovich had applied for residence in the canton of Valais, which includes the luxury ski resort of Verbier, told AFP Jacques de Lavallaz, head of the cantonal migration service.
Valais has given Abramovich the green light, said de Lavallaz, but the federal authorities have the last word on Swiss migration decisions.
"The (federal) migration secretariat was going to take a negative decision, but the representatives of Mr Abramovich withdrew their application before a decision was made," said de Lavallaz.
The decision of the secretariat of migration was based on an analysis conducted by the Swiss Federal Police, explained Mr. de Lavallaz, without discussing the details of their conclusions.
He pointed out that the request had been withdrawn before a final decision was made.
According to the TdG, Abramovich asked to move to Verbier in 2016.
The newspaper said the police claimed it was linked to "allegations of money laundering and alleged contacts with criminal organizations".
The police claimed that "Abramovich's presence in the country would pose a reputational risk for Switzerland – and possibly even a risk to public security," the newspaper reported.
The newspaper also issued a statement from an individual identified as being Abramovich's lawyer, criticizing Swiss officials and disclosing his personal information.
"We have filed a request for correction of the facts with the Swiss Federal Police and will file a criminal complaint against unknown persons responsible for the dissemination of this confidential information," said the lawyer, Daniel Glasl, in the statement.
"Any suggestion that Mr. Abramovich was involved in money laundering or contacts with criminal organizations is totally false," he added.
He also noted that Abramovich has no criminal record.
The TdG said the Swiss police had expressed concern over a Abricovich-controlled commodity company called Runicom, which had been the subject of a money laundering investigation by Geneva prosecutors in the 1990s.
Glasl pointed out that the company was "long since cleared of any wrongdoing".
The TdG said the Swiss federal court had given permission last week to publish the story after a seven-month legal battle with Abramovich's lawyers.
Abramovich, who bought Chelsea in 2003, obtained Israeli citizenship earlier this year after the UK authorities delayed approving a visa for him.
