Regulator redistributes almost £1.4m from charities run by Russian oligarch

Money from two charities run by sanctioned oligarch Vitacheslav Kantor has been handed over to good causes by the Charity Commission.

Kantor was the founder of the Kantor Foundation and Kantor Charitable Foundation, which were subject to Commission probes after Kantor was named in 2022 as a ‘designated person’ under the UK government’s Russia Sanctions regime. This made it a criminal offence for funds in the UK to be made available to the oligarch.

When the regulator’s inquires concluded a year later it was decided that both charities were no longer viable and should be would up and dissolved. Both have since been removed from the charitable register.

Following an investigation by interim managers into the running of the charities a total of £1.38m has been recovered for redistribution to charitable causes.

This includes the recovery of a violin, made by Italian violin maker Riccardo Antoniazzi, worth £150,810, which has been handed to another charity.

“The terms of the gift stipulates that the violin must be used to promote musical education for the public benefit.”

Interim managers also identified “a number of outstanding Gift Aid claims” that were owed.

“We are pleased some good can come to other charities and causes as a result of our intervention,” said the Commission’s head of compliance, visits and inspections Joshua Farbridge.

“Instead of assets lying dormant, or owed Gift Aid lost, we’ve been able to see a much-needed boost of over £1.3m into the sector, and a culturally significant musical instrument gifted to a charity furthering musical education.”

Following its investigations into his charities the Commission criticised Kantor for failing to proactively resign after being named as a ‘designated person’.

The regulator automatically disqualified him from being a trustee and also removed him as a trustee of another charity, the World Holocaust Forum Foundation (WHFF), which was also investigated.

Farbridge added: “Once designated, an individual cannot legally act as a trustee. Dr Kantor’s failure to step down immediately, his decision to ignore the Commission and failure to cooperate, amounted to misconduct and/or mismanagement.

“It also fell below our expectations of trustees. As a result of our investigations, we have now wound up both charities.”