Thread by @ChrisHa33342711

The Government responded robustly to the attack on Sergei Skripal & his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury in March 2018.
But despite the strong rhetoric, President Putin & his allies have been able to continue “business as usual” by hiding @ laundering their corrupt assets in London

These assets, on which the Kremlin can call at any time, both
directly & indirectly support President Putin’s campaign to subvert the international rules-based system, undermine our allies, and erode the mutually-reinforcing international networks that support UK foreign policy

It's all in this report :
House of Commons
Foreign Affairs Committee
Moscow’s Gold: Russian
Corruption in the UK
Report, together with formal minutes
relating to the report
Ordered by the House of Commons
to be printed 15 May 2018
publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cm…

"The use of London as a base for the corrupt assets of Kremlin-connected individuals
is now clearly linked to a wider Russian strategy and has implications for our
national security. Combating it should be a major UK foreign policy priority.

The assets stored and laundered in London both directly and indirectly support President
Putin’s campaign to subvert the international rules-based system, undermine our
allies, and erode the mutually-reinforcing international networks that support
UK foreign policy.

The size of London’s financial markets and their importance to Russian investors gives the UK considerable leverage over the Kremlin.

But turning
a blind eye to London’s role in hiding the proceeds of Kremlin-connected corruption
risks signalling that the UK is not serious about confronting the full spectrum of
President Putin’s offensive measures"

We call on the Gov' to investigate the gaps in the sanctions regime that allowed
a company such as En+ to float on the London Stock Exchange, & to work with the
G7, whose markets dominate the financial world, & other international partners, to
close those gaps as soon as possible