Detained Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny says action could put pressure on President Putin.
At last: British politicians such as Dame Margaret Hodge have called on the government to apply sanctions against Putin’s henchmen in English football.
I have long suspected that English football has been used as a vehicle for money-laundering and/or tax evasion by “businessmen” from abroad, particularly where their home country is corrupt. Russia is one such example, as are the Gulf States.
(Having watched football for years, you can tell how these billionaire owners never know anything about English football: the club is just their pet project. This is also why I defend the salaries of footballers: they earn their money honestly. Go after the club owners like Abramovich, who do not earn their money honestly.)
The inclusion of Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov in Navalny’s list means my country, Britain, must now step up and defend civil rights, justice, and laws against financial crime.
If I do not obey the laws against financial crime, I will be prosecuted.
Yet tycoons like Abramovich and Usmanov simply sail into my country with their suspicious billions, and our government and regulators are too scared to ask difficult questions about the source of their wealth.
I have not watched any Navalny investigations about Abramovich, though I have heard several negative things about his finances. However, I have watched this response from Navalny to Usmanov, featuring serious allegations about Usmanov’s history made by the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray. (English subtitles included.)
Stunningly, these allegations-- credible and substantiated-- were made public in the ambassador’s website, but nothing has been done since to investigate Usmanov before he began buying up shares in Arsenal FC.
In Navalny’s response to Usmanov, he provides irrefutable proof of how the “businessman” built his metals empire: transfer pricing (a form of tax evasion), as well as conflicts of interest and bribery.
In a damning indictment against Britain’s cowardice and greed, the investigation shows how a British company (Middlesex Holdings plc) was an accomplice in Usmanov’s corrupt business dealings during the 90′s.
No wonder Russians who can remember the misery and humiliation of the 90s are angry with us! Our companies helped Russian oligarchs plunder state assets and hide their ill-gotten wealth abroad. No wonder such oligarchs feel comfortable investing in the city of London.
In response, the UK government claims they are “considering” their options. Until the likes of Abramovich and Usmanov face tangible consequences, this statement means no action-- despite their condemnation of Navalny’s arrest. Hodge even quoted from Navalny, pointing out how the West has failed to protect Russian political opponents, because the sanctions do not target Putin’s henchmen.
I would remind my country’s leaders that Navalny is due for a hearing next week, in which a judge could send him to a penal colony for a minimum of 3.5 years. By then, it will be too late to consider potential action against the Kremlin, as yet another critic of Putin winds up in prison.
Will you defend civil rights now or not?
