The struggles of proving oligarchs’ property ownership

As the government introduces sanctions against Russian oligarchs, proving property ownership will be easier said than done. The FT has taken the example of Sutton Place, a Tudor manor in Surrey. The government has said the property is owned by Uzbekistan-born Alisher Usmanov. But a spokesman for Usmanov has suggested that might not be the case – and proving the matter either way is no simple task. The paper said a “convoluted trail” starting with Land Registry entries failed to reveal who ultimately owns the manor. “We can’t sanction oligarchs because we don’t know what they own,” an unnamed property and tax lawyer told the FT. “This is exactly the problem the government is finding.” The FT (£)