Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been described as a ‘close ally of Vladimir Putin’ by football agent Saif Rubie.
In court on Thursday, Rubie was cross examined by prosecution lawyer Mr Arizuna Asante in his trial for allegedly sending former Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia a threatening email.
And Rubie told jurors that Abramovich, who was sanctioned by the UK government as a result of the Ukrainian invasion, had close ties to Putin, the Russian president, in reference to the political issues that have arisen since the conflict erupted.
‘He is a close ally of Vladimir Putin, sanctioned by the UK government,’ Rubie told jurors.
Rubie’s remarks come after he denied intentionally threatening former Chelsea director Granovskaia, saying doing so would have been a ‘suicide mission’, given her links to Abramovich.
Ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich (centre) is a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin (right), football agent Saif Rubie has claimed
Rubie (pictured) made the claim during his trial after being accused of sending a threatening email to former Blues chief Marina Granovskaia
Rubie told the court it would have been a ‘suicide mission’ to threaten Granovskaia (pictured) due to her links to Abramovich
All episodes
-
It’s All Kicking Off! ‘He’s reaching De Bruyne levels’ listen now -
PODCAST: Listen to our EXCLUSIVE interview with Phil Foden -
IAKO! – Nottingham Forest are making fools of themselves! -
It’s All Kicking Off! – Can City overcome Chelsea in FA Cup Showdown? -
It’s All Kicking Off! – OFFICIAL Man City win the Premier League again
During a dramatic Thursday morning in court, during which Rubie was asked to stop being ‘so confrontational’ by Judge David Tomlinson, the intermediary also questioned why Granovskaia was allowed to remain in the UK when other Russian oligarchs, such as Abramovich, were unable to return to the UK.
‘By some chance, she [Granovskaia] is the only one who stayed,’ said Rubie.
Rubie has pleaded not guilty to threatening Granovskaia with the intention of causing distress or anxiety.
The agent called Granovskaia ‘a liar’ on more than one occasion when answering Mr Asante’s questions.
Rubie, 45, believes he is owed £300,000 from the £29.1million transfer of Kurt Zouma from Chelsea to West Ham in 2021.
Non-payment from Chelsea is what caused Rubie to send what he describes as an ‘angry’ but not threatening email to Granovskaia.
Rubie believes he should be paid £300,000 as part of the deal that saw Kurt Zouma (pictured) join West Ham from Chelsea for £29.1m in 2021
Rubie told jurors that he worked on the deal with fellow agent Barry Silkman, who gave evidence on Thursday.
‘My understanding is that Saif Rubie is entitled to payment (from the Zouma deal),’ Silkman said.
On his relationship with West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady, Silkman said: ‘I keep away from her to be honest.
During a conversation with Judge Tomlinson, Silkman referenced ticket prices at the London Stadium, saying: ‘The ones sitting at the back can’t even see the ground, you need binoculars to watch.’
Judge Tomlinson told the jury he expects to send them to consider their verdict by 1pm on Friday afternoon.
