The Daily Telegraph

Calls for peer to cut links with oligarch who hired former spy chief

- By Con Coughlin DEFENCE EDITOR

A TORY peer is facing calls to end his links with a controvers­ial Russian oligarch following the appointmen­t of a former Russian spy chief to run one of his companies.

Lord Barker of Battle, a former energy minister under David Cameron, is chairman of EN+, an energy company owned by Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. The US imposed sanctions against Mr Deripaska earlier this year after the Trump administra­tion targeted individual­s and companies it said had profited from a Russian state that is engaged in “malign activities” around the world.

Mr Deripaska is now working to protect his network of companies, which includes London-based EN+, from the sanctions, due to come into effect later in the summer.

It has now emerged that Mr Deripaska has appointed a former deputy director of Russia’s FSB intelligen­ce agency to a prominent role in his corporate network, raising fresh concerns about Lord Barker’s continued involvemen­t with the oligarch.

Valery Pechenik, a career intelligen­ce officer with the FSB who was in charge of counter-intelligen­ce, the department responsibl­e for targeting MI6 and other spy agencies, has been appointed head of Basic Element, Mr Deripaska’s holding company that has a controllin­g stake in EN+.

Mr Pechenik served under Mr Putin at the FSB, and remains a close confidant of the Russian leader. Now a crossparty group of MPS are calling for Lord Barker to consider resigning from his position at EN+ following Mr Deripaska’s decision to appoint one of the Kremlin’s most senior spymasters.

“It looks bad for any former MP – from any party – and now a Lord, to be chairing a company with such a close associatio­n with FSB and the Kremlin security establishm­ent,” said Bob Seely, the Tory MP who sits on the Commons foreign affairs select committee. “The Kremlin has repeatedly said that it is in a political struggle against the West and I’m curious as to what Lord Barker thinks he is doing.”

Pressure is now building on Lord Barker to appear before the committee to explain his conduct.

In a statement, Lord Barker said: “This story is complete nonsense. The man in question has never worked for En+ and as independen­t chairman I am now working flat out to end Oleg Deripaska’s control of the En+ group.

“Deripaska is already off the En+ board and my sweeping changes will end his control completely. If my plan succeeds it will be a big victory for robust corporate governance, while Deripaska will remain under sanctions.”

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