Cameron announced a new global centre in London that will help coordinate the prosecution of corrupt individuals and the recovery of assets across borders.
Advertisement
David Cameron made the announcement at a global anti-corruption summit in London on Thursday.
Mr Cameron has said that foreign firms which own property in the United Kingdom must declare their assets in a public register.
A summit dedicated to tackling corruption hosted by the British Prime Minister David Cameron in London yesterday culminated in worldwide pledges to prepare and publish registers of who really owns companies in a collective effort to crack down on money laundering.
According to government figures, foreign companies own about 100,000 properties in England and Wales and with more than 44,000 in London.
Heads of state, ministers and diplomats from some 40 countries said they would “uncover corruption wherever it exists, and to pursue and punish those who perpetrate, facilitate or are complicit in it”.
In an interview with Christian Today, a spokeswoman for Christian Aid said the “UK is enabling corruption around the world” and called on the Prime Minister to “focus on what he can actually do”.
Finally, Secretary Kerry offered continued USA support to help locate, track and investigate the whereabouts of looted funds, as we have done for Nigeria in the past. The register, which London said would be the first of its kind in the world, will include companies that already own property in Britain, not just those wishing to buy.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said he did not want an apology, but wanted the return of stolen Nigerian assets held in British banks.
This included officials from Nigeria and Afghanistan, who Cameron had told Elizabeth II were “the two most corrupt countries in the world” while being filmed this week.
Five other countries including France, Kenya, the Netherlands, Nigeria and Afghanistan have also pledged to launch public registers of true company ownership.
Panellists expected to take part in the event are expected to include the President of the World Bank and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, as well as a range of world leaders. “Corruption also has a broader corrosive impact on society”.
In 2013, Cameron told lawmakers: “I do not think it is fair any longer to refer to any of the Overseas Territories or Crown Dependencies as tax havens”.
Bell says “we need actions, not fine words”.
It was confirmed last night that the world football body hit by a corruption scandal was not invited to the event.
The PM later said the countries’ leaders were “battling hard” to tackle the problem.
This register will not be extended to Britain’s overseas territories, however, despite demands by campaigners to introduce a move they said would open up key players in global financial secrecy.
Advertisement
In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin urged Britain to “go right to the end” to enforce the same levels of transparency in the tax havens as elsewhere.
