This is prohibited by law. But if you find lawyers who are the nationals of States and are ready to represent your interests then it is possible. At the same time, they must obtain the license for conducting legal actions on behalf of a person who has fallen under the sanctions.
- Is it hard to find such lawyers?
- Finally, I was recommended to hire the company that is probably one of the coolest in the United States. They defended Bill Clinton when he had problem with Monica Lewinsky. I signed the contact with them and transferred money. The United States Department of Justice has observed the issue. It was the first victory.
The second step: my claim to the US Department of Treasury has been served on 23rd of February. From that moment I am officially in the legal relations with the US government. Now the pre-trial proceedings are being carried out. I receive questions and answer them. There are meetings in Europe...
- For how long the lawsuit would last?
- Up to three months. 90 per cent of this kind of cases ends by mutual agreement in the pre-trial period. If the plaintiff does not agree with the defendant they apply to the court. If we would not agree until 23rd of May, the legal action would begin with the participation of the judges of the US Supreme Court.
- What are the prospects for success?
- Both the lawyers and I are confident of success. I fully answered the questions related to my inclusion into the sanctions list. It was connected with my acquaintance with the two senior Syrian citizens. I submitted the documents showing how many times and why I met with them. I further explained that, if those would not be satisfactory, I would be ready to pass the polygraph test.
- Is the autumn match for the chess crown in New York under threat?
- No. We could postpone the match. But I really like to once again revive the Bobby Fischer’s boom of chess era in the US. And the match for the world title would contribute to this goal. Especially, after I made the gift to the people of America, by declaring 2016 the Year of Chess in the United States.
- However, are the negotiations about at the place and time temporarily suspended?
- Not at all. We have made the formal arrangement: Magnus Carlsen will fight the winner of the Moscow contenders tournament from 10 to 30 November in the centre of New York. The Prize fund is one million dollars. And this is not related to the proceedings of my claim...
- Gianni Infantino was elected the President of FIFA. It is good for Russia?
- More likely, yes. We were not personally acquainted but I, having the status of the President of International Federation, sent Infantino the congratulation telegram as a colleague to colleague.
Michel Platini was politicized figure like Joseph Blatter. That negatively affected the football activities.  The morning visits of police to the leaders shook its foundations. Infantino was rather the technical person. He will work on the system to function properly, avoiding the excessive politicization. It is good for football and for the world of sports.
- Once you were fan of Elista "Ural". Whose fan are you now?
- Nobody’s. I watch football rarely today.
- The Former coach of "Ural" Leonid Slutsky will bring the team for the European Championship as the head coach.
- I wish Leonid the victory. He is an ambitious man; he must succeed.
- How do you evaluate the doping scandal that hit the Russian sport?
- The professionals responsible for health care must work efficiently. They should closely cooperate with the WADA. However, they let things take their course: the athletes turned out to be on their own; so happened with the Ministry of Sport and the Federation. By the way, everything is strict in chess: when Vasya Ivanchuk once avoided the match, we caught him in the Dresden Gallery: ‘come on, undergo the test’! He did...