Money laundering nestled in financial centers makes the world more unstable. But the keys to stopping the Russian invasion are probably elsewhere than in London, writes Pasi Myöhänen, ‘s British journalist.
LONDON My job description in London has recently been “Londongrad Correspondent”.
Sanctions faced by famous British oligarchs over ownership of Chelsea Premier League Roman Abramovich to the alleged host of the country’s second-largest mansion Andrei Gurieviin have attracted widespread attention here.
Excited about this, I set out to do an interview for the A-studio story, where one of the goals was to get a corruption investigator Tom Keatinge to praise the long-running Russian money laundering through the fingers of watching British action.
But the praise did not come off all at once. Here is an excerpt from Keatingen, director of the Department of Financial Crimes and Security at the RUSI Research Institute.
– Too much focus on the oligarchs is unfortunate. Sanctions became a schoolboy competition to measure who has the longest oligarchic list. The British government is only trying to polish its shield, even though the oligarchs are unlikely to be able to influence Putin, Keatinge says.
The most important thing is to stop energy trading
Keatingen’s field is precisely the interface between security and corruption and he had two important points.
First, instead of focusing on the oligarchs, countries should compete to crack the Russian economy so that the country’s ability to wage war is disrupted. Stopping the purchase of Russian gas and oil is key to this.
Secondly, sanctions are not the same thing as anti-money laundering, permanent measures.
No one knows how long the sanctions against the oligarchs will last. The holdings have been frozen and their permanent loss would require evidence of illegalities that may be impossible to find.
London is one of the centers of global money laundering. Corruption makes the world more unstable and increases the risk of conflict. Obscure money can also be detrimental to democracy in Britain if its impact creeps into politics.
But the oligarchs of “Londongrad” don’t seem to be at the heart of the solutions right now when it comes to ways to stop the Russian invasion. Despite the fact that Roman Abramovich has sprung to the surface in the search for peace as a mediator.
The problems that Russian money is causing Britain right now are not Europe’s most burning threat.
I also asked security expert Keatingen if the oligarchs’ real estate holdings or joint projects could be a more concrete risk for Finland than for Britain. Here in Britain on an island in the Atlantic 3,700 kilometers from the Russian border.
Keatinge replied diplomatically.
– The ownership of football teams and mansions in Britain is attracting attention, but dirty money is a Europe-wide problem that must now be addressed.
This is ‘s daily analysis of the current theme of the Russian invasion. You can discuss the topic until 11pm on Friday night.