Dirty Money Crackdown Intensifies With New Sanctions
UK sanctions corrupt actors undermining democratic governments in Foreign Secretary’s latest steps to crack down on corruption and illicit finance.
- UK sanctions pro-Kremlin operation responsible for destabilising Moldova
- Cronies used by corrupt leaders to undermine democracy and rule of law in Georgia and Guatemala also included in new crackdown
- Action marks latest step in Foreign Secretary’s campaign to tackle threats to UK from corruption and illicit finance
Pro-Kremlin operatives responsible for rigging elections in Moldova are among those hit with sanctions today (2 April), which will freeze assets and ban travel.
This crackdown is the latest in the Foreign Secretary’s campaign to tackle corruption and dirty money, which is vital to protect the UK public from organised criminals and safeguard our democracy.
The sanctions target a network of pro-Russian actors named Evrazia operating in Moldova on behalf of corrupt fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, previously designated by the UK in 2022, to destabilise Moldovan democracy and spread Russia’s malign influence.
Evrazia, a Russian non-profit, has been used by Shor to bribe Moldovan citizens to vote “no” in last year’s referendum on joining the EU. Moldovan police have said that approximately 130,000 citizens received a total of $15 million from Evrazia – with payments ranging from $50 per month for “supporters” to over $2,500 per month for “leaders”.
Today’s sanctions target the founder and director of Evrazia Nelli Alekseyevna Parutenko and member of Evrazia’s management board Natalia Parasca, as well as Evrazia itself and another of Shor’s key political operatives, Marina Tauber.
These sanctions expose the Kremlin’s attempts to undermine and destabilise democracies in Eastern Europe. By targeting corrupt actors and their enablers, the UK is using its powers to create a more hostile environment for corruption and illicit finance and deter threats to the safety and security of Britain.
This marks the next step in the government’s ambitious agenda to tackle the devastating impacts of corruption and illicit finance, both at home and overseas, and deliver the UK’s national security under the Plan for Change.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy said:
These sanctions send a clear message. We will not stand idly by as Russia undermines democracy and the rule of law, threatening the national security of countries we consider friends and partners.
Left unchecked, this kind of insidious corruption can erode the very foundations of our society and open doors for Russia and other malign actors to expand their influence and compromise the stability of our neighbours and the UK.
We must protect the institutions designed to hold these unscrupulous individuals to account, and the independent investigative journalists whose hard and often dangerous work exposes the truth behind their actions.
Minister Doughty met earlier today with journalists from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) to express support for their tireless and risky work exposing corruption and bringing those responsible to justice.
The independent investigative reporting by the OCCRP and the activities of civil society groups such as Transparency International often play a crucial role in informing sanctions of this kind.
Today’s sanctions also target corrupt officials and prosecutors in Georgia and Guatemala, who are sabotaging democratic governance and undermining judicial impartiality by abusing their power.
In Georgia, this includes the leaders of the ‘Judicial Clan’ – a group of party-political judges who are abusing their position to influence court rulings and undermine the rule of law for the benefit of the ‘Georgian Dream’ party and their control of Georgia’s judicial system.
In Guatemala, the sanctions are targeted at former President Giammattei and his ‘Pacto De Corruptos’ (‘Pact of the Corrupt’) – a cabal of officials and prosecutors still operating under the current Attorney General who have sought to undermine the anti-corruption reforms of President Arévalo by interfering in prosecutions and threatening investigators.
Background
The individuals and entity designated for sanctions today are:
Moldova
- Evrazia, a non-governmental organisation that acts on behalf of pro-Russian Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor;
- Nelli Parutenko, founder and director of Evrazia;
- Natalia Parasca, member of the Evrazia management board and former leader of the Shor-backed Renaissance Party;
- Marina Tauber, former leader of the Shor Party.
Guatemala
- Alejandro Giammattei, former President of Guatemala;
- Maria Consuelo Porras, Attorney General of Guatemala;
- Jose Curruchiche, Head of the Special Prosecution Office Against Impunity (FECI), who has undermined corruption investigations into Giammattei and his allies;
- Cinthia Monterroso, Prosecutor and Head of Unit at FECI;
- Angel Pineda, Secretary General of the Public Ministry, who has undermined corruption investigations into Giammattei and his allies, and targeted anti-corruption journalists, judges and prosecutors;
- Melvin Quijivix, former Head of the National Institute of Electrification, who misappropriated public funds for the benefit of his own businesses;
- Miguel Martinez, close associate of Giammattei.
Georgia
- Levan Murusidze, member of the High Council of Justice of Georgia and member of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals;
- Mikheil Chinchaladze, Chairman of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals.
About the OCCRP
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project is a global network of investigative journalists that exposes organised crime and corruption so citizens can hold powerful politicians and officials to account.
About Transparency International
Transparency International is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit and works with like-minded partners across the world to end the injustice of corruption. Its mission is to stop corruption and promote transparency, accountability and integrity at all levels and across all sectors of society. As part of the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium, TI uses OCCRP’s investigative reporting to seek legal redress for victims of corruption, and advocate for reforms to close down the systems and networks that enable corruption to thrive, demanding greater transparency and integrity in all areas of public life.
Definitions
- Asset freeze: an asset freeze prevents any UK citizen, or any business in the UK, from dealing with any funds or economic resources which are owned, held or controlled by the designated person. It also prevents funds or economic resources being provided to or for the benefit of the designated person. UK financial sanctions apply to all persons within the territory and territorial sea of the UK and to all UK persons, wherever they are in the world.
- Travel ban: a travel ban means that the designated person must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom, providing the individual is an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/campaign-to-tackle-dirty-money-steps-up-with-new-sanctions