Anti-corruption （腐败）activists say billions of dollars earned from criminal acts are passing through the London property market. They also say a lot of the money for housing and other real estate（房地产）is coming from Russia.
The British government is now promising to fight the money-laundering （洗钱）activities. But one investment advisor said the government has known about the problem for years.
Over the past five years, major properties in London have risen in value by 42 percent. Activists say one reason for the increase is the rise in the use of what they call "dirty money" to buy homes and buildings.
Recently, a British television program reported on an investigation into the use of stolen money to buy property. The program was called "From Russia With Cash." In the show, anti-corruption activist Roman Borisovich was seen speaking with several real estate agents in central London. Mr. Borisovich told them he was a Russian government minister who wanted to buy property with stolen money. The activist later said on Skype that the agents did not care where the money came from.
Mr. Borisovich says the real estate agents all suggested he buy the properties through overseas companies to hide the identity of the buyer. He says one agent suggested he use the relaxed tax laws of Cyprus and the British dependency of Jersey to create a trust. The agent said this legal agreement then could be used to set up what investigators call a "shell company."
The British government says foreign companies own $191 billion worth of property in Britain. Prime Minister David Cameron has said that most are legal businesses. But he admitted some are not.
British law says real estate agents must tell officials if they believe the money being used to buy property comes from criminal activities. But many agents say they should not be expected to know the source of money, especially when buyers are using complex methods to hide fraud (欺骗).
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