Why have almost 100 Russians hit with foreign sanctions been spared by Britain?
Almost 100 Russian oligarchs and politicians have been sanctioned by the EU or Us but not by Britain.
many have been buying property, paying for private schools and enjoying luxury lifestyles in the UK, a joint investigation by the Daily mail and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism can reveal.
the Prime minister has insisted that Britain is leading the way in imposing sanctions on wealthy Russians linked to Vladimir Putin’s regime, but so far only 13 have been targeted since the invasion of Ukraine began.
It has sparked fears the UK is ‘trailing its allies badly’ after the EU announced a raft of sanctions on oligarchs with close ties to Britain last week. there are also concerns that delays could allow Putin’s associates to dispose of their assets.
Analysis by the mail and campaign group spotlight on Corruption shows 94 Russian individuals and 17 businesses have been sanctioned by the EU or Us but not the UK.
some have lived under international restrictions for more than half a decade, but have found sanctuary in the UK.
the total does not include the 351 members of Russia’s parliament – the Duma – sanctioned by the EU. Foreign secretary liz truss has reportedly told mPs curbs are being held up by london law firms pushing against restrictions on their oligarch clients.
But labour mP Chris Bryant said the Government should ‘stop being so timid’ and ‘get its act together’. He added: ‘If you’re frightened of people’s lawyers, get some backbone.’ ministers have
‘Too much bark and not enough bite’
announced plans for an ‘oligarch taskforce’ in response to ongoing criticism over the speed of Britain’s measures.
It will build cases against dozens of Russians with links to Putin.
officials are reportedly struggling to link oligarch finances to Putin, meaning they may not face sanctions for months.
It comes after No10 was left on the back foot last week after France seized a £90million yacht belonging to Russia’s oil tsar Igor sechin, with the EU boasting Britain was now ‘following our lead’.
Dr susan Hawley, of spotlight on Corruption, said: ‘the UK is trailing its allies badly on the number of individuals and entities it has sanctioned under its Russia regime and it desperately needs to get a move on.
‘At the moment there is too much bark and not enough bite coming from the Foreign office about how tough it’s being on Russian money in the UK.’
Justice secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC last week that the UK has sanctioned ‘more Russian banks than the EU’, including the biggest Russian lender sberbank. He denied the UK has ‘been slow’ and is ‘at the vanguard’ of sanctioning Kremlin-linked money.
Boris Johnson faces a backbench rebellion today over new sanctions laws which critics say do not go far enough.
ministers will expedite emergency legislation through the Commons to let the UK move faster to target oligarchs.
mPs are urging the Government to stop allies of Putin facing sanctions from selling assets. tory former Cabinet minister David Davis won cross-party support for an amendment enabling assets of anyone considered for sanctions to be frozen pending a decision.