Chesham & Amersham MP calls for HS2 to scrap contracts with oligarch-backed 'Strabag'
Sarah Green says she's deeply concerned by the links to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska
Sarah Green, Member of Parliament for Chesham and Amersham, has called on HS2 Ltd to terminate existing contracts with engineering firm Strabag, after it has emerged that Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska owns a significant financial stake in the company.
On Thursday (10 March 2022), Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced that as part of the government’s package of sanctions imposed in light of Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, a full asset freeze and travel ban had been applied to a further seven Russian oligarchs, including Mr Deripaska.
According to the UK Sanctions list, Mr Deripaska is ‘closely associated with the Government of Russia and Vladimir Putin’ and with ‘persons who are involved in destabilising and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.’ He was previously sanctioned by the United States in 2018.
Through his company, Rasperia Trading Ltd., Mr Deripaska owns a 27.8% stake in engineering firm Strabag, which together with Skanska and Costain, forms SCS joint venture, one of HS2’s main works contractors.
Expressing her concerns about the link between Mr Deripaska and HS2, a major government sponsored infrastructure project, Chesham and Amersham MP Sarah Green wrote to Mark Thurston, CEO of HS2 Ltd and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport. In the letters to Mr Thurston and the Transport Secretary, she urged HS2 Ltd to suspend current works being undertaken by Strabag and terminate all existing contracts with the firm. Ms Green also encouraged both Mr Thurston and Mr Shapps to conduct thorough audits of all stakeholders in firms undertaking work on HS2 and other significant government contracts.
In a statement, Sarah Green said: “I am deeply concerned that HS2 Ltd are doing business with a firm so closely linked to someone who has been sanctioned by the government. As a consequence of this, one of Putin’s close associates appears to be profiting from UK taxpayers.
“It is essential that we stand united in support for Ukraine by showing Putin and those around him that their business is no longer welcome in the UK.
“I welcome the extension of government sanctions to a further seven oligarchs, including Oleg Deripaska. It is time for the Department for Transport to back this up by ejecting Russian interests from major UK infrastructure projects, starting with HS2.”