United Kingdom island territories have been accused of exploiting their close links to the royal family to obstruct efforts to stamp out dirty money “stolen” from low-income nations by corrupt leaders and warlords.
Andrew Mitchell, the former U.K. development minister — who has long campaigned against the secrecy of its tax havens — attacked “well-connected” Crown Dependencies for asking the monarchy for help to block an agreement to open up their books.
The three Crown Dependencies — Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man — are largely self-governing, with their own political and legal systems, but are “possessions of the British Crown,” making the monarchy responsible for their “good government.”