In London, “the epicenter of Russian money laundering” rebels
The “Moscow-on-Thames Laundry”, denounced by activists from the Kensington Against Dirty Money movement.
© EmelineVin/RFI
Text by: Emeline Vin Follow
4 mins
For seven years, the UK offered visas to wealthy investors with no control over where the funds came from.
At the time of sanctions against the Russian oligarchs, the British capital finds itself forced to face the presence of dirty money on its soil.
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“
When you walk in the evening, the streets are deserted, no house is lit
”.
Sam lives in Kensington, West London.
This district of the British capital, the most expensive in the city, has a thousand unoccupied residences, according to the city council, some for years.
“
Shops are closing, public services are leaving
,” laments the young man.
These deserted villas are not, however, abandoned.
The owner of English Premier League football club Chelsea,
Roman Abramovich
, has a 15-bedroom mansion.
Polina Kovaleva, the daughter-in-law of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, enjoys an apartment valued at 4 million pounds sterling.
“
Kensington is the epicenter of money laundering in the UK
,” says Joe Powell, co-founder of the Kensington Against Dirty Money movement.
According to Transparency International
, 6.7 billion pounds sterling (8 billion EUR) from corruption have been invested in the London stone, of which 1.5 billion is linked to the Russian regime.
"
The government has been letting dirty money pour into London for decades
," continues Joe Powell.
In front of the apartment of someone close to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the activist, accompanied by a handful of activists, rolls a washing machine filled with counterfeit banknotes on a British flag;
symbol of the “
Moscow-on-Thames Laundry
”, nickname given to London because of the abundant presence of Russian oligarchs.
► To read also: "Londongrad": what becomes of the Russian oligarchs of the British capital?
At the origin of these accusations is the Tier 1 investor visa program, launched in 2008,
which the government ended in February
.
Against a few million pounds of investment, wealthy foreigners could obtain the right to reside in the United Kingdom, then to apply for nationality after five years.
"
There were no real controls between 2008 and 2015
," said John Heathershaw, professor at the University of Exeter and author of a
report
for Chatham House.
“
The lawyers were responsible for screening their wealthy clients, and they had every interest in validating the applications.
The state did not control anything.
Since 2015, and a slight tightening of controls, the number of Russian applicants has fallen by 80%.
However, “
most Russian businessmen have acquired their wealth thanks to oil and gas.
All are intrinsically linked to a type of political economy called kleptocracy: if you want to do well in business, you have to do well in politics, and vice versa
”.
The purchase of properties, such as in Kensington, but also that of businesses or sports clubs, poses "
a real risk of money laundering
".
The NGO Spotlight on Corruption qualifies: not all the money necessarily comes from corruption, but "
the absence of controls and transparency makes it impossible to know to what extent the funds have been obtained legally
", says argue George Havenhand, researcher for the NGO.
► To read also: The British Conservative Party pinned for its links with Russian oligarchs
But beyond suspicion, the NGO advances this figure
: 6,312.
".
For Professor John Heathershaw, these dangers are multiple: “
It
goes from the concentration of capital to political influence.
With these "golden visas", you can make donations to major institutions - universities, art galleries... This gives you status, enhances your reputation, and gives you access to elite circles, where you can weigh in the debate.
»
Russian millionaires are not the only ones to have benefited from the generous visa regime.
According to John Heathershaw, it is even Chinese investors who are the most numerous.
But it is the context of the war in Ukraine that has given new visibility to the anti-corruption movements.
Ukrainian flag hanging from the lapel of his jacket, Joe Powell tells journalists how to find the residence of Roman Abramovich, sanctioned the day before by the British government.
“
His mansion is uninhabited.
Why does the government not seize it to house Ukrainian refugees?
Prime
Minister Boris Johnson called on the British the day before
to open the doors of their homes to Ukrainians.
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