Billionaire Michael Friedman, who is under British and EU sanctions, called himself a prisoner in London and said he had almost no money even for a cleaning lady, according to Bloomberg Business, citing BGNES.
Under sanctions, Friedman withdrew from the boards of directors of Alfa-Bank, X5 Group and Veon (owned by Russia’s VimpelCom).
In an interview with the publication, Friedman, who lives in London, admits that he has an Israeli passport. Asked if he could move to Israel, he said he had no home and no money to buy a ticket. “I am a prisoner here,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.
Bloomberg Businesswick writes that EU and UK measures have frozen the billionaire’s accounts, and “now he is trying to figure out how to pay even small expenses such as cleaning.”
“I may have to clean the house myself. This is normal. When I was a student, I lived in a small room in a dormitory with four men. But after 35 years, it’s unexpected, “Friedman told the newspaper.
As soon as his accounts are blocked, Friedman will have to obtain permission to spend his money from the British government, which must determine whether his request is justified. Friedman’s costs could be limited to about 2,500 euros a month.
According to Bloomberg, before the sanctions, Friedman’s fortune was about $ 14 billion.