Ukraine invasion: UK under pressure to speed up Russia sanctions

The UK government is facing growing calls to speed up sanctions against wealthy individuals allegedly linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Asset freezes and travel bans for two other oligarchs were announced on Thursday.

But Labor has accused the government of being too slow to target others as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine escalates.

Ministers have privately expressed their frustration at the process of punishing people.

They have suggested changes to legislation in 2018 by Crossbench peer and barrister Lord Pannick contributed to the delay.

Lord Pannick told the BBC he “can’t understand” the allegation.

Lord Pannick proposed a number of amendments during the reporting phase of the 2018 Sanctions and Money Laundering Act, most of which were backed by the Government at the time.

The amendments added requirements for ministers to explain why sanctions are “a sensible course of action” and to give “good reasons” to those affected, unless there are national security exceptions.

Lord Pannick said the changes required ministers to be satisfied the sanctions imposed were “appropriate”.

He said this was the “minimum requirement of the rule of law” and he failed to see how this could “hinder proper government action”.

The alternative, Lord Pannick said, is that “the government can do whatever it wants” which would “break with the rule of law”.

He said he had “strong suspicions” that the government “did not allocate sufficient resources” to those responsible for identifying sanctions targets.

One of Britain’s most prominent barristers, Lord Pannick has focused primarily on public law, human rights and constitutional issues over a decade-long legal career.

He has been a member of the House of Lords since 2008 and has represented wealthy and powerful clients including Queen Elizabeth II and British tennis player Greg Rusedski.

In one of his most high-profile cases, he led legal action that forced the government to seek parliamentary approval before starting the Brexit process.

In another case, he helped the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia push through in the House of Lords that state immunity applies to allegations of torture.

Lord Pannick told the BBC he represented Russian businessman Arkady Rotenberg in 2014 and 2015 in connection with EU-imposed sanctions.

Mr. Rotenberg, a friend and former judo sparring partner of President Putin, became the owner of two of Russia’s largest construction companies, SGM Group and Mostotrest, in the 2000s.

Mr Rotenberg is currently listed under EU sanctions related to “acts undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine”.

The UK government says it will take time to follow due process and develop legally sound cases for sanctions against wealthy targets.

Secretary of State Liz Truss is said to have expanded the sanctions team at the Federal Foreign Office in recent months.

This week Ms Truss told MPs that a special oligarch task force – made up of ministers and officials from across the government – is being formed to bring cases against targets.

But critics say the National Crime Agency (NCA) has been without funds for years.

Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was time to “put pressure on Russia” as he announced what he called “the biggest and toughest package of economic sanctions” the country had ever seen.

Since then, the British government has imposed sanctions on Russian companies, banks and individuals with ties to President Putin.

Analysis by BBC Reality Check showed 15 people were sanctioned last week, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Belarusian defense chiefs and President Putin himself.

Alisher Usmanov and Igor Shuvalov were the latest Russian oligarchs to face sanctions on Thursday, with the UK banning British citizens and businesses from trading with them.

However, there are still a number of Russian individuals who have been sanctioned by the US or the European Union, but not by the UK.

Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said he supports the government’s action against sanctions but urged ministers “to go further and faster”.

“We must go after every oligarch,” Sir Keir said. “This is the weapon we must use, and we must use it now.”

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab defended the government’s response, dismissing accusations that the UK was too slow in imposing sanctions on Russia.

He told BBC Breakfast: “We weren’t slow, we were pioneers in action.”

Asked whether the UK should sanction more individual Russians, Mr Raab said: “It’s not about individuals or companies, it’s about where the money is going.”

He confirmed he was “urgently” reviewing proposals to prevent oligarchs with ties to President Putin from suing those trying to expose their financial dealings.

Mr Raab said it was an “abuse of our system” which would be dealt with in due course.