Wagner Group: Sanctions Regime Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Wagner Group: Sanctions Regime

Dave Doogan Excerpts
Wednesday 25th January 2023

(1 year, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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James Cartlidge Portrait James Cartlidge
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I said to the former sanctions Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham and Rainham (Rehman Chishti), that I would write to him. I will be happy to share that with other colleagues who have asked what information we are able to publish. I will look into that and write to colleagues who have raised that point.

Dave Doogan Portrait Dave Doogan (Angus) (SNP)
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It is very difficult to believe that a regime exists now where civil servants can make this decision, especially in the case of Yevgeny Prigozhin. Anyone with a passing relationship with a newspaper would have realised that enabling that to happen would compromise their Ministers, yet they did not have such discussions. Can the Minister assure us that he will review that? I do not want to hang a civil servant out to dry, but somebody needs to take responsibility for the decision. Does he find it a coincidence that, when one of the worst commercial war criminals went to find access to justice, he turned up in London?

James Cartlidge Portrait James Cartlidge
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I have merely stated the fact, and it is the case, that these decisions are routinely taken by senior civil servants. I also said that we are ultimately responsible. We, as Ministers, are accountable to Parliament. That is why we will conduct the internal review.