British shell companies provide high prestige with low transparency – perfect for money-laundering, popular across the former Soviet Union.
They are as common as muck in Ukraine. And often as dirty.
Foreign shell firms – ‘offshores’ in the jargon – litter the country’s politics and economy.
They are used to conceal ownership, avoid tax, make illicit payments and launder dirty money. Their abuse, say anti-corruption campaigners, help keep Ukraine poor.
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