London’s rich Russians
properties, including Oleg Deripaska, who bought an 11-bed house on Belgrave Square.
He snapped it up for £17million through a company registered in the British Virgin Islands in 2003. It is now worth at least £45million.
There is no suggestion that it was obtained through illegal means.
Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told the Daily Express: “We need to be clear the spread of illegal finance… corrupts our institutions, weakens our own system and encourages others to do the same.”
He added: “I have received assurances a lot is going on. I spoke to the security minister Ben Wallace yesterday and one of the main tools is the Unexplained Wealth Orders.
“They have started using them.”
May’s international allies unite to break up spy network
THERESA May won backing from Britain’s key allies last night for a united offensive to break up Vladimir Putin’s spy network.
US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau all backed a joint statement supporting the findings of Britain’s security services.
The leaders all agreed the allegations against two agents from the Russian GRU identified in the probe into the Salisbury poisoning “strengthened” their desire to “disrupt” covert Kremlin activities in the West.
A “statement of unity” released by Downing Street on behalf of the allied nations said: “Yesterday’s announcement further strengthens our intent to continue to disrupt together the hostile activities of foreign intelligence networks on our territories.” A Downing Street spokesman said: “This is obviously a very clear statement that our close allies share our assessment in relation to the actions of the GRU.”
But Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian Federation’s UN representative, accused Britain of peddling the “same repeated lies”.
He said: “London needs this story for just one purpose – to unleash a disgusting anti-Russian hysteria.”