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.
“ 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 “, denounces Joe Powell, co-founder of the movement Kensington Against Dirty Money. 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 flood 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.
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The origin of these accusations is the Tier 1 investor visa program, launched in 2008, which the government terminated 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 », emphasizes John Heathershaw, professor at the University of Exeter and author of a report for Chatham House. ” Lawyers were responsible for vetting their wealthy clients, and they had every interest in validating applications. The state did not control anything. Since 2015, and a slight tightening of controls, the number of Russian applicants has fallen by 80%.
Gold, ” most Russian businessmen have acquired their wealth through oil, 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, as in Kensington, but also that of businesses or sports clubs, poses a real risk of money laundering “. The NGO Spotlight on Corruption nuance: all the money does not necessarily come from corruption, but ” the lack of controls and transparency makes it impossible to know to what extent the funds have been obtained legally “, argues George Havenhand, researcher for the NGO.
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But beyond suspicion, the NGO advances this figure: 6,312. According to the Ministry of the Interior, this is the number of visas issued between 2008 and 2015 currently subject to review, as potentially dangerous for national security “.
For Professor John Heathershaw, these dangers are multiple: “ VSThis ranges from 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 the British the day before to open the doors of their homes to Ukrainians.