David Crisp, a British businessman, was caught on camera admitting to illegally selling luxury perfume to Russia. Despite the discovery of evidence that he tried to conceal over £1.7m of illegal sales, he is not facing criminal charges. Mr. Crisp denies knowingly breaching sanctions or concealing trades with Russia.
The undercover video, exclusively shown by the BBC, reveals Mr. Crisp’s activities in selling the high-end perfume “Boadicea the Victorious” in Russia. Despite being arrested by HM Revenue and Customs in 2023, the investigation was dropped earlier this year. This lack of punishment for violators of trade sanctions on Russia is concerning to senior Conservative MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who believes it sends a negative signal and makes the UK appear lenient.
Mr. Crisp was filmed by a private investigator admitting to selling perfume in Russia and ignoring government sanctions. The investigation was carried out by his then-business partner, David Garofalo, who became suspicious after learning of continued sales to Russia. Mr. Garofalo reported Mr. Crisp to HMRC and pursued a civil case to remove him from the company.
Despite evidence showing Mr. Crisp knowingly violated sanctions, HMRC dropped its investigation and returned his passport. Mr. Garofalo expressed shock at HMRC’s lack of interest in the evidence collected. Meanwhile, HMRC has fined companies for breaching Russia sanctions but has not pursued criminal prosecutions.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP criticized the UK’s poor record in prosecuting violators of sanctions, stating that other countries like the US are more advanced in this regard. He emphasized the need for arrest, prosecution, and incarceration to deter individuals from breaching sanctions. El ex líder del Partido Conservador dijo que HMRC a menudo llegaba a acuerdos, en lugar de emitir grandes multas o condenas criminales. “Las autoridades pueden decir que las infracciones de sanciones son demasiado pequeñas para procesar, pero la respuesta es que procesas las pequeñas, porque las grandes necesitan saber que también van tras ellas”, agregó. El gobierno del Reino Unido esperaba que las sanciones fueran un disuasivo, sin necesidad de una aplicación robusta, según Tim Ash del grupo de expertos en asuntos exteriores Chatham House. “La realidad es que el atractivo de hacer negocios con Rusia, las enormes ganancias que se pueden obtener, son demasiado para algunas personas”, explicó el Sr. Ash. “Están más interesados en su resultado final, en lugar del pozo sin fondo de ucranianos muriendo”. Dijo que casos como el de Mr. Crisp enviaban un mensaje claro de que no habría consecuencias por seguir haciendo negocios con Rusia. “Estamos casi tres años en la invasión a gran escala, y el hecho de que no tengamos nuestro régimen de sanciones listo es bastante extraordinario”.