The Portuguese government agency responsible for granting citizenship is investigating Roman Abramovich's claims to Sephardi ancestry after he obtained EU citizenship last year.
The oligarch is believed to have taken advantage of a Portuguese law that gives naturalisation rights to descendants of Jews that were hounded out of both Spain and Portugal during the Inquisition of the late 1400s.
After securing his EU citizenship, Mr. Abramovich now faces an investigation by Portugal's Institute of Registries and Notary, the agency that confers citizenship and naturalisation rights.
In a statement to Reuters, the Justice ministry maintained that it was a routine procedure, saying: "It is a normal procedure adopted whenever there are situations or news that refer to any possible irregularity in the procedure carried out."
