Roman Abramovich arrest rumours hit Evraz shares
Shares in London-listed Russian steel maker Evraz dropped on Monday amid unsubstantiated rumours that billionaire Roman Abramovich, who owns 63pc of the company, had been arrested in the United States.
The unconfirmed Russian reports were swiftly denied by Mr Abramovich’s spokesman.
He told one newspaper that the claim was “an absolute lie”.
The Chelsea FC owner has apparently docked his yacht in New York because his partner Dasha Zhukova is due to give birth.
A spokesman for Chelsea added that the rumour was “not true”. The FBI also said they had not arrested or detained him.
RBC, a Russian television station, promised details of the arrest in its 6pm Moscow bulletin but failed to substantiate the rumours.
Evraz shares, which have fallen 45pc over the past year, slid 5pc at one stage in early afternoon trading before clawing back lost ground after the rumour was denied.