RUSSIA DIRTY MONEY LAUNDERED IN UNITED KINGDOM

RUSSIA DIRTY MONEY LAUNDERED IN UNITED KINGDOM

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Although the United Kingdom expelled more than 20 Russian diplomats and has promised more punitive measures against Moscow for its alleged involvement in the poisoning of the Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, the Government of Theresa May has not gotten involved with the Russian oligarchs, a criticism comes mainly from Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The conservative government, which like other Western governments has used the narrative that Russia has intervened in foreign electoral processes, would have received the sum of '800 thousand pounds ($ 1.1 million dollars) in donations for its political campaign of' oligarchs Russians and their associates, "Corbyn said, reports the BBC.

There are billions of dollars of Russian money laundered in the London real estate market and some of these Russian oligarchs are close to the circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, top Russian officials send their children to private schools in British territory, reports the Washington Post.

THE RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS

Both May and Washington, which recently imposed sanctions against Kremlin officials, have avoided touching the millions of Russians, despite the fact that in January the US Congress issued a list of more than 200 figures close to Putin's circle.

Chatham House analyst James Nixey assured Vox magazine that there is "no evidence" that London will take action against the Russian oligarchs despite their belligerent rhetoric.

In fact, the law that would enable May to take punitive measures against Russian investors in London has been in effect since 2017, so it already has the tools to pursue the illicit money.

But the United Kingdom has the reputation of being a refuge for the millions of 1% of the population, reports the British newspaper The Guardian.

A study by Deutsche Bank in 2015 points out that a good part of this money comes from a particular country: Russia. At least 133 million pounds are related to the Eurasian country.

But it is not only Russia. James Ibori, a Nigerian governor from one of the oil-producing provinces, was jailed after admitting that part of the millions he acquired for corruption was invested in six houses in the British capital.

Another case is that of Maxim Bakiyev, son of the former president of Kyrgyzstan, who was convicted for using his position to steal public money and has a mansion in the British county of Surrey.

 

An analysis by Transparency International was unable to identify who owned more than half of 44,022 land titles in the United Kingdom.

Many of the millions of Russians come from money laundering, a business that was discovered in 2013 and published in the report 'Organized Crime and Corruption'.

Russian investors also channel illicit money into British territory through registered fantama companies in the United Kingdom.

Labor Minister Anneliese Dodds has said measures are necessary 'to stop the flow of dirty money from Russia and other places to the United Kingdom.'

THE DOUBTS OF CORBYN

When the British prime minister placed the responsibility of the attack against Skripal on the Kremlin, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, asked initially to 'clarify the facts'. Days later, it added to the narrative that the Russians were behind the event.

Corbyn has rejected this narrative and has requested evidence to show that Moscow is responsible for the poisoning of the Russian ex-spy, which has earned him all kinds of criticism.

In a Guardian opinion column, Corbyn's response to the Skripal case has been described as shameful, and his criticism of the money of the Russian oligarchs in the Conservative Party campaign is undervalued.

However, this is the least of the criticisms against the Labor leader, who has been accused of being an anti-Semite and a traitor.

Earlier this week, the Council of British Jewish Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council had pointed out that the Labor leader and head of the opposition has been seen along with people 'who blatantly have anti-Semitic views'.

The anger of this community is related to the support that Corbyn lent to the painter of a mural of anti-Semitic connotations placed in the Tower Hamlets neighborhood, east of London, in 2012.

While the charge of treason comes from British defense secretary Gavin Williamson, who said Corbyn had "betrayed" the UK after alleged documents revealed that he had contact with a Soviet agent in the middle of the Cold War, reports the Daily Mail.

Despite criticism against him, Corbyn has suggested that it has not been proven that Moscow is behind Skripal's poisoning.

In addition, he said that the comments of some government ministers, in clear reference to the British Foreign Minister, Boris Johnson, 'do not help or are sensible', according to Efe news agency.

The Labor leader, through a spokesman for the party, also recalled that the United Kingdom has a history of intelligence errors, such as the alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and has called for action on the basis of evidence.

Although he claims to be a harsh critic of Russia, mentioning as examples his repudiation of the intervention in Georgia, attacks against the LGBT community and the millions of Russian oligarchs in the UK, conservatives and some within his own party have attacked him for his current position on the case of Skripal.

The Labor John Woodcock denied that Corbyn was a harsh critic of Putin, "it is not true," he said during a session of Parliament.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which received samples of the chemical agent used against the Russian ex-spy, will share the results when the investigations are completed, General Ahmet Uzumcu said, according to the Sputnik newspaper.

Note: Video of Russian Organized Crime involved in the Republic of Panama : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v6o_MNzxHA 

Chronicles of Monte Friesner - Financial Crime Analyst  

Contributed by Juan Spain - Investigative Journalist