LLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan has advocated housing Ukrainian refugees in Russian oligarch properties in the British capital. Most of the apartments in London are empty anyway, Khan told Times Radio on Monday.
The Labor politician believes that many properties belonging to the Russian super-rich were bought to launder money rather than to live in. These are not apartments, but “golden bricks,” Khan continued. “I think the government should confiscate them and before they are sold they should be used to house Ukrainians,” he said. This is a kind of “poetic justice”.
Oligarchs should be made more difficult to buy real estate
In recent weeks, the British government has tightened its long-criticized lax treatment of Russian oligarchs. New law is due to come into force later this week that will make it harder for the super-rich from abroad to hide behind shell companies and front men when buying property and other investments in the UK.
The imposition of sanctions on individuals should also be made easier. The fact that London put the Russian billionaire and owner of the English first division football club FC Chelsea, Roman Abramovich, on the sanctions list caused a great stir last week. It is expected that more will follow.
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