The UK’s global anti-corruption sanctions regime allows the government to impose asset freezes and travel bans on those involved in certain kinds of corruption, namely bribery and misappropriation. They can be a powerful tool to hold to account those who commit serious corruption.
In partnership with other civil society organisations we work to ensure the global anti-corruption sanctions regime, and other UK sanctions regimes that may target corrupt actors such as those imposed on Russia, are used to their full potential.
This includes advocating for the government to:
By identifying potential loopholes and weaknesses in UK sanctions through our research and court monitoring programme we push the government to make sanctions as effective an anti-corruption tool as possible.
On 9th December, the UK put three new individuals on the UK’s Anti-Corruption Sanctions list. Kamlesh Pattni, his wife Minal Damji and brother in law Mukesh Vaya were all sanctioned...
Weak enforcement has long been the Achilles’ heel of the UK’s fight against economic crime, and the early signs suggest that sanctions enforcement is unlikely to be an exception to...
The announcement today of high-profile sanctions as part of a new campaign by the British government to crack down on corruption and illicit finance is a hugely welcome sign that...
The newest section of the Spotlight on Corruption website brings our detailed analysis of key sanctions cases together in one place for the first time. Through our unique court monitoring...
The International Lawyers Project and Spotlight on Corruption today welcomed the UK government’s latest sanctions package against Russia’s military industrial complex and Russian-backed mercenary groups operating in Africa. Praising today’s...
The report – “All bark and no bite?: Taking stock of the UK’s enforcement of sanctions” – reveals that there have been ZERO fines for breaches of financial sanctions imposed since 2022, ZERO convictions for sanctions evasion since 2012, and ZERO assets permanently seized through civil or criminal action related to sanctions violations.
Over the past year we have monitored the enforcement of sanctions breaches and challenges to sanctions designations in the UK courts, based on our court monitoring programme and enforcement expertise.
The UK government has prevailed in two high-profile challenges related to Russian sanctions measures, including the detention of a superyacht and a UK citizen’s sanctions designation. On Tuesday, the appeals...
