The High Court in London has frozen the assets of Georgy Bedzhamov ©RBF

Former Russian Bobsleigh Federation (RBF) President Georgy Bedzhamov has had £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion/€1.5 billion) in assets frozen by the High Court in London.

Bedzhamov fled Russia in 2016, with a court in Moscow ordering the arrest of the co-owner of Vneshprombank.

He was charged with an illegal withdrawal of bank assets worth 235 billion roubles (£2.7 billion/$3.6 billion/€3.2 billion).

An international arrest warrant for fraud charges had also been issued.

The businessman left Russia following the arrest of his sister Larisa Markus on accusations of fraud.

It followed the decision of the Central Bank of Russia to put Vneshprombank into temporary administration.

Bedzhamov was arrested in Monaco in 2016 but avoided extradition after Prince Albert, a member of the International Olympic Committee, refused to grant his return to Russia.

He then relocated to London.

According to the Financial Times, the High Court in London have now frozen funds from Bedzhamov and have given claimants the opportunity to pursue the assets.

He has reportedly been told not to leave England and Wales, while his spending has also been restricted.

Bedzhamov has previously claimed the charges were politically motivated.

His sister Markus was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2017 after reportedly admitting the theft of 114 billion roubles (£1.3 billion/$1.7 billion/€1.5 billion)

She pleaded guilty to forging documents with Bedzhamov, which would siphon off loans to 286 shell companies.


Georgy Bedzhamov, second left, fled Russia in 2016 ©RBF
Georgy Bedzhamov, second left, fled Russia in 2016 ©RBF


Bedzhamov was elected President of the RFB in 2010 but was ordered to "voluntarily" give up his position by then Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko in 2016 in the wake of the allegations against him.

The 52-year-old millionaire businessman had become the vice-president of communications at the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation in 2014 and served on the body’s ruling Executive Committee.

Following Sochi 2014, Bedzhamov was also invited to the Kremlin where he received a state decoration from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He was then replaced as RBF President by Alexander Zubkov in 2016.

Zubkov was stripped of the two Olympic gold medals he won in the two and four-man events at Sochi 2014 after being implicated in Russia's state-sponsored doping programme.

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation announced last December it had imposed interim bans on five Russians bobsledders, including Zubkov, "based on the reasoned awards issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport".

It led to him having to stand down as President of Russia's national governing body.

Elena Anikina was elected RBF President last month.