UK considers seizing property of sanctioned Russian oligarchs -FT
Britain's Housing Secretary Michael Gove delivers a speech during the annual Conservative Party conference, in Manchester, Britain, October 4, 2021. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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March 2 (Reuters) - British cabinet minister Michael Gove is drawing up plans to seize property in the United Kingdom owned by Russian oligarchs who have links to President Vladimir Putin without paying them compensation, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
Gove's plans would apply to nine oligarchs who have been sanctioned by Britain, including Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and Putin's former son-in-law, it said.
The government has proposed these people will have their UK assets frozen and be unable to travel to Britain, the report added.
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However, the proposals are likely to require legislation, and government lawyers have concerns that the plans would face legal challenges, the report said, adding that no final government decision has been reached on whether to proceed.
The United Kingdom's department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities did not respond to a Reuters request for comment outside office hours.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said she has drawn up a "hit list" of Russian oligarchs, and said the government would impose new sanctions on them every few weeks.
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