Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has provided the interim government in Bangladesh with support for the asset recovery of funds potentially misappropriated by the previous government.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to assisting investigative, prosecuting and judicial authorities in combating international crime. We have robust illicit finance legislation and instruments which can be used to support asset recovery requests. Requests require significant domestic political support, as well as cooperation from law enforcement agencies and the judiciary. We are in discussions with the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre hosted by the UK's National Crime Agency and the International Centre for Asset Recovery on how to support the Interim Government of Bangladesh. In October, the UK National Crime Agency visited Dhaka as part of the UK's effort to support Bangladesh in this area, as well as wider engagement on law enforcement issues. We will continue to support these recoveries to the extent that we can.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he intends to publish a deadline for the implementation public registers of beneficial ownership in the Overseas Territories per the requirements in the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundry Act.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Overseas Territories' (OTs) commitments to delivering publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership were outlined in a Written Ministerial Statement of 18 December 2023. This month, as Minister for the OTs, I wrote to OT Governments to set out UK transparency expectations. I noted that full public accessibility remains our expectation. Access filtered to those with 'legitimate interest' should be delivered to a clear timetable, as an interim step. I also outlined a set of minimum requirements that the UK Government would expect to see in any 'legitimate interest' regime. At the UK-OT Illicit Finance Dialogue earlier this month, officials discussed OTs' progress towards their commitments and technical assistance to support implementation. I expect to continue discussions, including on ambitious deadlines for implementation, at the Joint Ministerial Council in November.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will raise the case of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu with Azerbaijani officials during pre-COP 29 discussions to help secure his release from detention.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu's arrest in July 2023, the UK has consistently advocated for appropriate medical access and the right to a fair legal process, including ahead of COP29. The UK has also called on the Azerbaijani Government to protect the human rights and freedoms of all of its citizens, and we will continue to work to ensure Dr Ibadoghlu's rights are upheld.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help (a) recover and (b) repatriate funds linked to corruption investigations involving former members of the government of Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to assisting investigative, prosecuting and judicial authorities in combating international crime. The UK has robust illicit finance legislation and instruments which can be used to support asset recovery requests. Requests require significant domestic political, as well as cooperation from law enforcement agencies and the judiciary. We stand ready to support in these recoveries to the extent that we can. We are in discussions with the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre hosted by the UK's National Crime Agency and the International Centre for Asset Recovery on how to support the Interim Government of Bangladesh.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his interview with the i newspaper, published on 3 June 2024, what recent progress he has made on establishing a summit of allies and international financial centres to tackle dirty money.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This government will drive a powerful agenda to tackle corruption and kleptocracy both at home and internationally. Working in partnership with international financial centres to tackle illicit finance is a priority. The FCDO is working across HMG to explore a range of options to deliver on this agenda and is actively considering different ways to increase the leadership of the UK in this area.