Suspect in £26m Tamara Ecclestone and Frank Lampard burglaries charged in Serbia

A man accused of being involved in burglaries at Frank Lampard and Tamara Ecclestone’s homes has been charged in Serbia.

According to the BBC, Serbian court documents allege Ljubomir Romanov invested money in the UK via “criminal activities”.

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are working with Serbian authorities on the case.

The investments were reportedly in luxury cars, real estate in Belgrade and other items valued at 2.4 million euros.

The alleged money laundering offences are understood to be linked to 2019 raids on the homes of socialite Ecclestone, former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard, and the late owner of Leicester City Football Club, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

Items worth a total of £26 million were taken in the burglaries, with £25 million of that from Ecclestone’s mansion.

Her Kensington home was raided on December 13 2019 while she was in Lapland with her husband, art gallery owner Jay Rutland, their daughter and their dog.

Jewellery, cash and gems were taken from their property.

Italian nationals Jugoslav Jovanovic, Alessandro Maltese and Alessandro Donati were found to have taken part in the raids at the homes of all three high-profile victims.

One suspect, Daniel Vukovic, fled to Belgrade in the wake of the raid and Ecclestone offered £250,000 for information leading to his capture, as well as a £6 million reward if her belongings are recovered.

Most of the stolen jewellery and valuable watches have never been recovered, the BBC said.

Eight other defendants were named in the indictment on Wednesday, it added.

The Metropolitan Police said: “We continue to work in partnership with law enforcement colleagues in Serbia.

“The investigation is managed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime.”