The UK Government is coming under increasing pressure to crack down on corrupt money being secretly funnelled through Scotland through the use of Scottish limited partnership (SLPs).
Kilmarnock and Loudon SNP MP, Alan Brown, raised the issue in the House of Commons yesterday. There is a money-laundering bill currently going through Parliament Alluding to The Herald’s recent work highlighting the use of SLPs, Mr Brown asked Minister for Security and Economic Crime Ben Wallace to confirm a timeframe for legislation to address the issue.
Mr Wallace said he was determined to deliver a time frame on legislation, saying: “The Home Secretary and I are pressing the case to give honourable members more solid answers about exactly when we will deal with it.”
He added: “I pay tribute to The Herald. Throughout all this, it has often been journalists who have made the difference in exposing all sorts of corruption around the world.”
The Herald has been prolific in raising concerns that SLPs and similar secrecy vehicles have been being abused by both state and criminal players in the former Soviet Union, including the giant $20 billion Russian Laundromat.
The attempted murders of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter by chemical agent in Salisbury has furthered calls to address Russian interference in UK life and politics, including the laundering of “dirty” money.
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