The UK has sanctioned kleptocrats and announced the launch of the Foreign Office’s new campaign against dirty money. ‘Sanctions have been imposed on three notorious kleptocrats who siphoned off their fortunes from their countries, and on their friends, family and fixers who helped them,’ the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.
The following statements were used in the statement: ‘A woman once dubbed ‘Africa’s richest woman’ who embezzled at least £350 million and a corrupt oligarch who siphoned hundreds of millions of pounds from the Ukrainian economy are among those subject to new travel bans and asset freezes imposed by the Foreign Secretary.’
The sanctioned persons are:
Dmitry Firtash: a notorious oligarch who extracted hundreds of millions of pounds from Ukraine through corruption and control of gas distribution and concealed tens of millions of pounds of ill-gotten gains in the UK property market alone. The UK also sanctioned his wife Lada Firtash, who profited from Firtash’s corruption and held UK assets on his behalf, including the site of the former Brompton Road tube station, and Denis Gorbunenko, the UK-based financial ‘fixer’ who enabled and facilitated Firtash’s corruption.
Isabel Dos Santos: daughter of Angola’s former president, systematically misused her positions in state-owned companies to embezzle at least £350 million, depriving Angola of resources and funds for much-needed development. Dos Santos has been subject to an Interpol Red Notice since November 2022 and last month lost a worldwide asset freeze case in the Court of Appeal. Paula Oliveira, Dos Santos’ friend and business partner who helped him use Angola’s national wealth for his own benefit, and Sarju Raikundalia, his Chief Financial Officer, were also sanctioned.
Aivars Lembergs: one of Latvia’s richest men, abused his political position to take bribes and launder money. Lembergs tried to hide the proceeds of his corruption in investment trusts and other corporate structures, including in the name of his daughter Liga Lemberga, who is also sanctioned today. In 2021, Lembergs was found guilty in a court in Riga on 19 charges, including taking bribes, forgery of documents, money laundering and improper use of office.
Foreign Minister David Lammy said: ‘These unscrupulous individuals selfishly deprive their fellow citizens of much-needed funds for education, health and infrastructure for their own enrichment. When I became Foreign Minister, I made a commitment to fight kleptocrats and the dirty money that empowers them, and these sanctions are the first step in achieving that goal. The tide is turning. The golden age of money laundering is over.’
