This campaign is based on data from a new report Corruption on your doorstep: How corrupt capital is used to buy property in the UK published by Transparency International UK in March 2015. You can download the report
The campaign is part of a global initiative across the Transparency International movement which aims to end the secrecy that enables the shifting of corrupt funds across borders. From Malaysia to Brazil, Switzerland to Russia, South Africa to here in the UK, corruption fighters around the world are asking their governments to Unmask the Corrupt by:
For the first stage of our campaign we decided to focus on property as it was identified in our research as a sector particularly vulnerable to money laundering here in the UK. It is part of a wider piece of research due for publication later this year which will examine a number of other sectors used to launder the proceeds of corruption, such as private education, sports clubs and PR agencies.
The total amount of money and assets laundered worldwide in one year is estimated to be between
It is estimated that at least
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) estimated that every year between
The average price of a property under criminal investigation in the UK is
In 2011 alone,
In 2013-14, estate agents contributed to only
According to a 2013 Savills report,
Out of
More than
At least
Out of
July-September 2014 British Virgin Islands-based firms were engaged in 110 deals worth
Still hungry for more? Not to worry — we are good at evidence based policy work, and in-depth (slightly nerdy) research. Do your homework here:
Anti-Corruption Kit: 15 Ideas for Young Activists
Unmask the Corrupt - Global Campaign
Leaving the corrupt at the door: from denial of entry to passport sales
Ending secrecy to end impunity: tracing the beneficial owner
Regulating luxury investments: What dirty money can't buy
Closing banks to the corrupt: the role of due diligence and politically exposed persons
Tax haven buyers set off property alarm in England and Wales (Financial Times, 2014)
Viktor Yanukovych is gone, but where are Ukraine's missing millions? (The Guardian, 2014)
Why are rich Russians so obsessed with buying up London property? (The Guardian, 2014)
East European oligarchs rush to snap up London property (Financial Times, 2014)
How UK business enables corruption in poor countries (The Guardian, 2014)
David Clarke: Villains choose 'safe' London to launder their dirty money (The Independent, 2014)
U.S. Agents Start Hunting for Sanctioned Russians? 'Shiny Toys' (Bloomberg, 2014)
London property empire amassed by controversial German landlord (The Guardian, 2014)
The great British money launderette (The Independent, 2014)
UK 'should tighten controls on those with dubious sources of wealth' (The Guardian, 2013)
We want to hear from you! Let us know what you think about the issue by:
We are keen to collaborate with journalists interested in the issue of the laundering of corrupt proceeds in and through the UK, particularly those doing investigative work. For more information email [email protected].
We encourage masters and PhD students, research programmes, and public and private sector researchers to further investigate the topics we work on. Our Anti-Corruption Research Network is an information hub for researchers who are either based in the UK or focused on UK corruption issues. You can view the current list of research topics here. For more information email [email protected].