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London, Dec 9 (PTI) The British government on Monday appointed a new anti-corruption champion who will be tasked with tackling the flow of ‘illicit financing’ both domestically and internationally, along with increased funding for the International Corruption Unit of the National Crime Agency. (ICU).
Baroness Margaret Hodge, a former Labor MP and long-time campaigner against illicit money, will work with Parliament, the private sector and civil society to tackle corruption and the organized criminals who benefit from it.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has also increased its funding support to the ICU by up to £36 million over five years to help the unit continue successful investigations into cross-border corruption, money laundering and bribery cases abroad to make.
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“After years of campaigning on this issue, I feel privileged and pleased to be working as a champion for the government in the fight against corruption and the illicit financing that results from it, both at home and abroad.” , said Hodge, who had previously served as chairman of the administration. Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.
“The time has now come to put an end to dithering and procrastination. We must take decisive and effective action and I look forward to playing my part in that work,” she said.
In her new role, Hodge joined British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Security Secretary Dan Jarvis on a tour of the National Crime Agency (NCA) to hear first-hand about the ICU’s work: “tackling corruption and dirty money in the UK and beyond” .
“Corruption is a real threat to Britain. It enables the activities of dictators, smugglers and organized criminals around the world, making our streets less safe and our borders less secure,” said Lammy, who welcomed Hodge in her role to “suppress” the threat of corruption.
“Take Syria, where Bashar al-Assad was removed from power this weekend after decades of brutal repression, financed in recent years by laundering the proceeds of the illegal Captagon trade abroad. This government will make Britain a hostile environment for the corrupt and their ill-gotten gains, as we put national security at the heart of our Plan for Change and a decade of national renewal,” he said.
“Margaret brings decades of experience and expertise to this important role, and I know she is the right person to help realize our ambition to tackle corruption in all its forms – both at home and abroad. We understand the magnitude of the challenge and are prepared to work hard to create the credible and lasting change our country needs,” said Jarvis.
The ICU claims to have frozen more than £441 million in assets linked to international corruption since 2020.
Monday’s announcement came as the government confirmed sanctions against three individuals designated under the UK’s Global Anti-Corruption Sanction Regulations 2021 – Kamlesh Pattni, a British-Kenyan businessman who “has used bribery to export gold from southern Africa as a means to money laundering,” and his sister and brother-in-law, who have a “long history of involvement in his network of companies.”
“Today’s sanctions will disrupt and deter the illicit gold trade by imposing asset freezes on five individuals, including notorious British-Kenyan gold smuggler Kamlesh Pattni and his associates. Pattni illegally smuggles gold from southern Africa for use in money laundering and was involved in the Goldenberg corruption scandal in the 1990s,” the FCDO said in a statement.
“Illegal gold is an attack on the legitimate trade of a valuable commodity, fueling corruption, undermining the rule of law and entrenching human rights violations such as child labor.
“Russia is using the illicit gold trade to launder money and evade sanctions, thereby bolstering (Russian President) Putin’s war effort… These announcements follow a major NCA investigation last week – Operation Destabilize – that found money laundering exposed and disrupted Russian money. networks that support serious and organized crime around the world, further highlighting the damage caused by dirty money to UK and international security,” it added.
Others sanctioned this week include Alain Goetz, a Belgian gold trader who heads several gold refineries and companies across Africa, who is believed to have illegally smuggled gold extracted from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), controlled by armed groups. Anto Joseph, the CEO and manager of several gold trading companies, who has purchased more than $300 million worth of Russian gold. PTI AK SAP SAP
This report is automatically generated by PTI news service. ThePrint is not responsible for its content.
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