The British government said on Friday it could seize a luxury apartment bought for cash by a young woman linked to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov under a new anti-dirty money law.
The economic crimes bill, whose path was speeded up through parliament after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, will expand and reduce the penalty for cases of “unexplained wealth” involving people who do not have a known legitimate source of income.
Executives claim that this may concern Polina Kovaleva, 26, the daughter of Svetlana Polyakova, who according to the press will be Lavrov’s long-term partner.
The UK’s foreign secretary, as well as President Vladimir Putin, were personally sanctioned following the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Alleging their affair with him, Labor MP Chris Bryant has demanded that the two women be added to the sanctions list.
Kovaleva bought the apartment in London in 2016 for 4.4 million pounds ($5.8 million, 5.2 million euros) without resorting to a mortgage, according to the Land Registry.
“His only source of money is his mother, who does not work and is said to be Lavrov’s unofficial wife,” Maria Bevchikh, an investigator at the anti-corruption foundation founded by Alexei Navalny, a jailed Russian dissident, said in a series of tweets.
“This is an excellent example of unexplained wealth. Property can now be confiscated legally,” he added.
On Friday, Britain’s technology minister Chris Phelp told private radio LBC that the executive was following the case closely and that an upcoming law would facilitate such penalties.
He said it would target “people who come to London, as in this case, and buy a £4m property without apparently having the means to do so”.
Philip also defended the government’s action in the Roman Abramovich case, after most MPs criticized the slow pace of sanctions against the Russian owner of Chelsea football club.
“These few Russians have very expensive lawyers. They are very contradictory,” he explained. “It was very important to make sure that this was done in a way that is completely indisputable and legally defensible,” he added.
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