CLAIMS of a conflict of interest in the shadow cabinet linked to billions of pounds of Russian assets frozen in Jersey have been dismissed by the Conservatives as a “baseless smear”.
Earlier this week, the JEP reported how the Island had been drawn into the middle of an escalating dispute over aid after UK Justice Minister Jake Richards wrote a strongly-worded letter to Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch.
He demanded answers over the role of her Shadow Attorney General, Lord David Wolfson KC, in Jersey legal proceedings connected to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Lord Wolfson is part of the legal team representing the Russian oligarch as he attempts to recover more than £5.3 billion of assets frozen in the island.
UK government ministers have said that the Jersey case is delaying the release of more than £2.35 billion from Mr Abramovich’s sale of Chelsea Football Club, which the former owner pledged to help victims of the war in Ukraine.
Mr Richards, who has political responsibility for the Crown Dependencies in Westminster, said that Mr Abramovich’s legal position was that the funds could not be transferred until the end of the Jersey court case.
That, he said, placed the Shadow Attorney General in a “clearly compromised” position.
But the Conservative Party has now rejected the criticism, describing Labour’s comments as “pure politics” and a “baseless smear”.
A party spokesperson said: “Lord Wolfson is instructed in on-going legal proceedings in Jersey. He is not instructed on the Chelsea FC matter.
“Jake Richards’ comments are pure politics, and they show Labour still does not understand how the Bar works. Barristers act for clients, not causes.”
The Conservative Party accused Labour of “rank hypocrisy”, pointing out that Attorney General Lord Hermer – the government’s chief legal adviser – previously represented former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams before he became a minister.
They added: “The Conservative Party led the way on supporting Ukraine and we remain committed to their cause. To suggest anything else is just Labour sinking to new depths.”
