Kleptocracy Tour

'Kleptocracy Tour' refers to tours of cities where financial flows[1] from kleptocracies are being used to purchase residential property as a means of money-laundering.

The concept was founded by anti-corruption campaigners, started in London in February, 2016 and was modelled on the 'Beverley Hills-type tours of the homes of the stars'.[2] The first tour focussed on properties owned by Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh klepto-oligarchs [3] congruent with the founders original area of expertise and awareness. The tour garnered widespread press coverage [4][5][6] and sparked strong interest in subsequent tours in London and abroad.

The tours began in early February 2016,[7] after the campaign for a public registry documenting the ultimate beneficial owners of London’s offshore companies was rejected.[8] They are organised by the campaign group 'ClampK' which highlights both the local economic distortions [9] caused by these capital inflows and the implicit corruption implied by facilitating this money-laundering by foreign kleptocrats. The tour is planned for expansion in Miami and New York City.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jamie McGeever (10 March 2015). "UK draws billions in unrecorded inflows, much from Russia". Reuters. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Henry Williams (9 February 2016). "Move over Royal Family. London’s oligarchs are the new tourist attraction". The Spectator. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Sally Hayden (5 February 2016). "On Board the Russian Dissidents' 'Kleptocracy' Bus". Vice News. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Russians in London: Government in exile". The Economist. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Luke Harding (5 February 2016). "Mega-rich homes tour puts spotlight on London's oligarchs". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "London's newest sightseeing tour shows homes of Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs". Ukraine Today. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  7. ↑ David Brown (5 February 2016). "On the trail of suspicious money: it’s the ‘kleptocracy tour’ of London". The Times. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  8. 1 2 Linda Kinstler (26 March 2016). "London’s Latest Tourist Attraction: Russian Oligarchs". Fortune. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Roman Borisovich (2 March 2016). "'Kleptocracy tours' expose state failure to stop dirty money buying up London". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2016.


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