The minister was asked to defend the decision by the Conservative Party to accept an £80,250 donation from the wife of one of Vladimir Putin’s former Deputy Finance Ministers. Figures released by the Electoral Commission on Wednesday show Lubov Chernukhin donated to the party in the final months of 2021, Ms Chernukhinhas is reported to have given more than £2 million to the Tories since 2016.
Mr Ferrari told the Minister: “The Electoral Commission released figures yesterday that showed the Conservative Party accepted 80,000 pounds from Lubov Chernukhin in the last financial quarter.
“She’s the wife of Vladimir Chernukhin who was the Deputy Finance Minister under Mr Putin.
“Why would the Conservative Party accept that cash?
Mr Hinds replied: “There are rules in place long-standing rules about who is eligible to donate there’s because it has to be people on the UK electoral rolls, so people who are eligible to vote in this country and then they are and then they are declared publicly, as you rightly say, by the Electoral Commission.
READ MORE ON OUR RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR LIVE BLOG
“I honestly can’t it’s not that I’m holding something back for you. I honestly can’t comment more on the individual you just said because I genuinely as I said this morning, I don’t know further details, but I do know, we have that system, which is transparent about who gives money to political parties.
“In the elections bill currently going through Parliament, we are strengthening the system and in particular the role that third parties from other countries can play and to severely restrict that in terms of the influence that third parties might have in our electoral system.”
Mr Ferrari said: “But what sort of look do you think it gives the minister a new as a senior member of the Conservative Party?
“How do you feel about the fact that your party accepts cash from someone or the wife of someone who was a senior minister under Vladimir Putin.”
Mr Hinds said more individuals will be sanctioned by the UK and appeared to suggest the UK could seize assets of Russian oligarchs.
The minister was told on LBC that German authorities have seized Alisher Usmanov’s yacht, and he was asked whether similar action on elite Russians should be taken in Britain.
Mr Hinds said: “Yeah, and, look, we are going to go further.
“We’ve acted very quickly on the initial round of sanctions – that includes individuals as well as organisations, banks, and so on – but we’ve always been clear it is a ratchet approach and there can be more to come.
“Specifically on assets, we’ve got legislation going through Parliament at the moment – we’re debating it on Monday – to include bolstering unexplained wealth orders.
“Which are a potentially potent tool that can open investigations to lead to the proceeds of crime being seized,” he added.
“We need to gum up that system, we need to stop it, to stop the money laundering.
“But also, as you rightly say, where it is possible – and obviously we operate within a legal framework – we are absolutely motivated to seize the proceeds of crime.”
