A prominent Russian banker claims he has received political asylum in Britain after claiming he was being subjected to a campaign of persecution led by former President Dmitry Medvedev.
Andrei Borodin, 45, the former president and co-owner of the Bank of Moscow Photo: ALAMY
Andrei Borodin, 45, the former president and co-owner of the Bank of Moscow
who is wanted in Russia
for alleged fraud, told the Vedomosti daily that he had been granted asylum
by UK authorities in the last few days.
The news drew a sharp condemnation of the British government from Mr
Medvedev's spokesman.
If true, the asylum decision is likely to cause fresh tension in the already
fraught UK-Russia relationship. The Kremlin was furious when Britain gave
asylum to fugitive oligarch Boris Berezovsky and Chechen rebel envoy Akhmed
Zakayev.
"My lawyers put in an application for political asylum to the UK Home
Office indicating that the pursuit of me and my colleagues in Russia is
politically motivated," Mr Borodin told the newspaper.
"Behind it are politicians including the former president, Dmitry
Medvedev, who is the chief initiator of all this persecution and
victimisation. We said that all the criminal cases against me in Russia are
nothing but a weapon of that illegal, politically motivated persecution, and
the British government decided to give me asylum." Mr Medvedev served
for one term as president from 2008 to 2012 before handing back the Kremlin
to his ally, Vladimir Putin. He is now prime minister.
His spokesman, Natalya Timakova told Vedomosti: "Unfortunately, the
practice of receiving political asylum, especially in England, has got to
the point that it doesn't matter what the applicant did, it doesn't matter
that Interpol is looking for him or what kind of criminal prosecution awaits
him. What's important is to announce as loudly as possible that you are
being politically persecuted and that will be a guarantee of receiving
political asylum."
Mrs Timakova added: "If this information is confirmed, then we can only regret that such a crude mechanism has worked once again in Britain."
The Home Office does not comment on individual cases.
Mr Borodin was close to Yury Luzhkov, the former mayor of Moscow who was ousted three years ago after falling out with the Kremlin, and Mr Luzhkov's billionaire construction magnate wife, Yelena Baturina. He fled to London in 2011 after his bank – which was controlled by Moscow city government - was accused of making a £270m loan to a small company which then used the money to buy a plot of land from Mrs Baturina. Another fruad charge was brought last spring.
Mr Borodin says he is innocent of wrongdoing, and that he was forced to sell his share at the Bank of Moscow for a knockdown price in exchange for a promise from a Kremlin envoy that he would be left alone by tax and police authorities.
The banker is known for buying Britain's most expensive house in 2011, paying £140m for Park Place Estate, near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. Last year he claimed he had been the target of a surveillance operation there, which he said might have been led by Russian security services.
Russia requested Mr Borodin's extradition from Britain last year.
Interpol issued a "red notice" for him on its website in August.
Mrs Timakova added: "If this information is confirmed, then we can only regret that such a crude mechanism has worked once again in Britain."
The Home Office does not comment on individual cases.
Mr Borodin was close to Yury Luzhkov, the former mayor of Moscow who was ousted three years ago after falling out with the Kremlin, and Mr Luzhkov's billionaire construction magnate wife, Yelena Baturina. He fled to London in 2011 after his bank – which was controlled by Moscow city government - was accused of making a £270m loan to a small company which then used the money to buy a plot of land from Mrs Baturina. Another fruad charge was brought last spring.
Mr Borodin says he is innocent of wrongdoing, and that he was forced to sell his share at the Bank of Moscow for a knockdown price in exchange for a promise from a Kremlin envoy that he would be left alone by tax and police authorities.
The banker is known for buying Britain's most expensive house in 2011, paying £140m for Park Place Estate, near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. Last year he claimed he had been the target of a surveillance operation there, which he said might have been led by Russian security services.
Russia requested Mr Borodin's extradition from Britain last year.
Interpol issued a "red notice" for him on its website in August.
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