A new free-to-view film has been released exposing how London became the money laundering capital of the world.
The Spider’s Web has already racked up half a million views since it was released earlier this month and puts London at the centre of a global web of offshore secrecy jurisdictions which allow rich and powerful players to dodge taxes, to escape regulations, to money-launder, to cheat their creditors, and to engage in a host of corrupt activities with almost total impunity from investigation and prosecution.
Dubbed “Britain’s second empire” the film details how the capital was covertly turned into the money-laundering centre of choice for crooks from across the planet, riding a tide of dirty money since the demise of the first empire in the 1950s.
Writing in the i newspaper co-producer John Christensen said: “The Spider’s Web strikes a chord with audiences because it confronts us with a truth that many people knew all along but have chosen to ignore.
“Corruption runs through banks, accounting firms and law firms, and the offshore secrecy jurisdictions that host them like the message running through a stick of rock.
“For decades our politicians have promised to crack down on Britain’s secrecy jurisdictions, and for decades little or nothing has been achieved. Democracy and the rule of law in Britain have been greatly diminished as a result of this failure”.
Watch the full film below:
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