Chess chief steps down temporarily to fight sanctions

Omnisports

December 7, 2015 11:26 AM

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the head of world chess, has temporarily stepped aside in order to fight US sanctions relating to alleged Syrian links.

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The president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) has temporarily stood down from his duties after being sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury over alleged links to the Syrian government.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who has served as FIDE president since 1995 and denies any commercial links to Syria, was named on a sanctions list last month.

A statement from the US Department of the Treasury read: "Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was designated for materially assisting and acting for or on behalf of the Government of Syria, Central Bank of Syria, [Central Bank of Syria governor] Adib Mayaleh and [Central Bank of Syria official] Batoul Rida."

Ilyumzhinov has initiated legal procedures in response and will pass on his duties to FIDE deputy president Georgios Makropoulos as he focuses on "clearing the situation with the US Department of the Treasury".

An FIDE statement read: "Following the announcement by the US Department of the Treasury that the US levied sanctions against Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Russian citizen and FIDE president, Mr. Ilyumzhinov has informed the presidential board that he will withdraw from any legal, financial and business operations of FIDE until such time as Mr. Ilyumzhinov is removed from the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanction list.

"Mr. Ilyumzhinov advised that he has initiated legal procedures in the US aiming to request additional information and reverse restrictive measures put by the US Department of the Treasury. During the next presidential board meeting, Mr. Ilyumzhinov will update the board as to the progress of the legal procedures.

"Mr. Ilyumzhinov's decision to withdraw from any legal, financial and business operations of FIDE is to enable him to concentrate on clearing the situation with the US Department of the Treasury.

"Until further notice, under section A.9.5 of the FIDE Statutes, if the president: 'duly authorises, then he can be represented by the deputy president who shall exercise the powers of the president. The deputy president can thus represent FIDE officially and can solely sign for FIDE.'

"Therefore Mr. Makropoulos will now be exercising these powers and representing FIDE officially."

Omnisports