THE TIMES: UK property worth £1.5 billion was bought by Russians with links to the Kremlin or accused of corruption, according to newly released figures.
Nearly £430 million of the property is in Westminster in London, and more than half is held by companies in Britain’s overseas territories and crown dependencies.
Transparency International, the campaign group that unearthed the figures, said the findings exposed how Britain had become a “global hub for money laundering”. It identified 2,189 companies registered in the UK, Britain’s overseas territories and crown dependencies that have been used in 48 Russian money-laundering and corruption cases.
In total, these cases involved funds worth more than £82 billion diverted from “rigged” procurement, bribery, embezzlement and the unlawful acquisition of state assets, Transparency International said. » | Matt Dathan, Home Affairs Editor | Friday, February 18, 2-22
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