UK lens on corrupt Pakistani investors

LONDON: Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has identified Pakistan as one of the countries whose politicians invest money allegedly derived from corruption in the UK.

Naming Pakistan in its 2018 assessment of serious and organised crime, the NCA said: “The UK is a prime destination for corrupt foreign Politically Exposed Persons to launder the proceeds of corruption, particularly those from Russia, Nigeria and Pakistan.

“Investment in UK property, particularly in London, continues to be an attractive mechanism to launder funds. The true scale of PEPs’ investment in the UK is not known, however the source countries that are most commonly seen are Russia, Nigeria and Pakistan,” it added.

Under a new anti-corruption provision , the NCA is investigating money-laundering linked to the assets held by an unnamed foreign politician worth nearly £22 million. It secured two unexplained wealth orders to investigate in January.

Based on open source information, anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International has identified assets allegedly owned by former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, among five major suspect properties in London.

The NCA assessment also named Pakistan over concerns of money-laundering: “The overseas jurisdictions that have the most enduring impact on the UK across the majority of the different money laundering threats are: Russia, China, Hong Kong, Pakistan, and the UAE.

“Some of these jurisdictions have large financial sectors which also make them attractive as destinations or transit points for the proceeds of crime.”

In NCA’s assessment, UK-registered companies continue to bribe overseas to improperly secure new businesses, extend existing contracts or to obtain sensitive information about competitors.