UK imposes sanctions on Isabel dos Santos, Ukrainian oligarch Firtash

The measures are a portion of the Labour authorities tightening Britain’s anti-corruption sanctions regime.

The United Kingdom has barred Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos and Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash and frozen their UK assets, the authorities announced, successful what it said was portion of a caller crackdown connected “dirty money”.

The measures connected Thursday were the archetypal measurement successful tightening Britain’s anti-corruption sanctions authorities arsenic promised successful July’s election, the Labour authorities said.

“These unscrupulous individuals selfishly deprive their chap citizens of much-needed backing for education, healthcare and infrastructure – for their ain enrichment,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said successful a statement.

Dos Santos, whose begetter Jose Eduardo dos Santos served arsenic Angola’s president for 38 years until 2017, is Africa’s archetypal pistillate billionaire and has faced corruption accusations successful Angola and elsewhere for years. She denies the allegations and says she is the people of a long-running governmental vendetta.

She was sanctioned by the United States successful 2021 for “involvement successful important corruption” and is barred from entering the country.

Britain said dos Santos abused her positions astatine Angolan authorities lipid steadfast Sonangol and telecoms institution Unitel to embezzle astatine slightest 350 cardinal pounds ($440m).

Dos Santos mislaid an entreaty to overturn an bid freezing up to 580 cardinal pounds of her assets successful September arsenic portion of a suit astatine London’s High Court brought by Unitel. Global constabulary bureau Interpol has issued a reddish announcement for her.

In a connection cited by the Reuters quality agency, dos Santos said that the British sanctions were “incorrect and unjustified”.

“I was not fixed the accidental to support myself against these allegations,” she said. “I mean to entreaty and I anticipation that the United Kingdom volition springiness maine the accidental to contiguous my evidence.”

Dmytro Firtash, 1 of Ukraine’s astir influential oligarchs, astatine a proceedings successful Vienna, Austria [File: Samuel Kubani/AFP]

Firtash is wanted by Ukrainian and US authorities connected suspicion of embezzling astir $500m involving Ukraine’s state transit system. He says the charges are without ineligible foundation.

He is presently successful Austria warring extradition to the US.

In June 2021, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree imposing sanctions connected Firtash, including the freezing of his assets and withdrawal of licences from his companies, aft accusing him of selling titanium products to Russian subject companies.

Britain said Firtash had extracted “hundreds of millions of pounds from Ukraine done corruption”, and hidden tens of millions of pounds of ill-gotten gains successful the UK spot marketplace alone.

Britain besides sanctioned his woman Lada Firtash, who it said held UK assets connected his behalf including the tract of the aged Brompton Road obstruction presumption of the London Underground.

Latvian businessman and person Aivars Lembergs, who was enactment connected a US sanctions database successful 2019 for alleged corruption, was besides sanctioned, arsenic was his girl Liga Lemberga. The British authorities said Lembergs had “abused his governmental presumption to perpetrate bribery and launder money.”

Lammy said the penalties were the commencement of a crackdown.

“I committed to taking connected kleptocrats and the soiled wealth that empowers them erstwhile I became overseas secretary, and these sanctions people the archetypal measurement successful delivering this ambition,” helium said.