The leader of the Jewish community in Porto in northern Portugal was arrested last night (Friday), the country’s media reported. Rabbi Daniel Litvak is suspected of issuing a document that allowed oligarch Roman Abramovich to obtain Portuguese citizenship last year. According to the newspaper Publico, Litvak was preparing to travel to Israel at the time of his arrest.
In a statement issued by the Porto Jewish community, any illegal act was denied and it was alleged that it was a defamation campaign. The community claimed that Littbeck supervised the department that granted Portuguese citizenship on the basis of criteria set and approved by previous governments. The community said that the citizenship of businessman Patrick Drahi, the controlling owner of HOT, was also being investigated.
Abramovich was granted Portuguese citizenship in April 2021 based on a law allowing naturalization for the descendants of Spanish Jews deported from the Iberian Peninsula during the Inquisition. Applications for citizenship are examined by experts at the centers of the Jewish community in Lisbon or Porto. The Porto center, overseen by Litvak, handled Abramovich’s request.
The investigation into the matter opened in January. On Thursday, a source in the Portuguese government told Reuters that Abramovich’s identity could be revoked, according to the findings of the investigation. A law enforcement statement also said police raided homes, law firms and properties later Friday in a case that also involved money laundering, corruption and forgery of documents.
On Tuesday, Yad Vashem announced that following the sanctions against Abramovich, the strategic partnership with the oligarch will be suspended. The Chelsea Football Club has announced that it intends to hold talks with the government to make changes to the special license under which they are now working with the aim of operating the club “as normally as possible”.