Bill Browder attacks British establishment for allegedly accepting Russian money laundering bribes
Financier and prominent Putin critic Bill Browder has launched an incendiary attack on "members of the British establishment" for allegedly accepting bribes linked to Russian money laundering.
Browder, the chief executive of Hermitage Capital Management, alleged that an investigation into money laundering had uncovered evidence that members of the House of Lords have received bribes connected to illegal activity.
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Speaking at the European Parliament Browder said: “Some people are benefiting from this flow of money and I believe in particular in the UK there is a lot of Russian money flowing around.
“That money is being spent and paid to certain members of the British establishment, to make sure that things aren’t happening [to prevent money laundering].
“We’ve actually found evidence of payments to members of the House of Lords and other people in that regard.”
He added that it was harder to get the UK to open a money laundering investigation than it was to “get into Harvard Law School”.
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Browder has been a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime following the death of his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Russian prison in 2009, after Magnitsky uncovered an alleged £174m fraud.
A spokesperson for the House of Lords said: "Investigations are ongoing into two Members following complaints about their interests in Russia.
"The investigations are not finished and so it is wrong to say they have reached any findings or found any breach of the Code of Conduct."