New York Times: Britain signals harder look at wealthy Russians and Russian wealth

By New York Times.

Published March 30, 2018 at 11:14 am

The sign for the Russian Embassy is viewed in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2018.US President Donald Trump has ordered the expulsion of 60 alleged Russian spies from the United States in response to a nerve agent attack on an ex-spy in the English city of Salisbury. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the move, part of globally coordinated retaliation against Moscow, was taken "in response to Russia's use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom."Officials said that 48 "known intelligence officers" posted to the United States and 12 more at the Russian mission to the United Nations now have seven days to leave the country.

Photo by AFP

For years, anti-corruption campaigners have railed against Britain’s openness to ill-gotten riches from overseas and the foreigners who invest them. After a nerve agent attack on British soil, and the resulting diplomatic showdown between Russia and the West, that may be starting to change.

The British government said this week that it would review the cases of 700 Russians who were granted visas to live in Britain largely because they could invest millions of dollars in the country. And it signaled an openness to cutting off access to British financial markets for President Vladimir V. Putin’s government in Russia.