Richard Caring
Richard Caring is a British retail magnate who owns a string of restaurants including The Ivy and the nightclub Annabel's in London.
Contents
HSBC Swiss leaks
In 2015 a a major investigation by the International Consortium of Journalists into leaked records from HSBC's Swiss banking arm revealed Caring as holding offshore assets in a tax-free Geneva account.
Clinton Foundation donor
Leaked HSBC bank’s internal records show Caring used his tax-free Geneva account to transfer $1m into the New York-based foundation.
- Caring was legitimately permitted to keep his assets offshore by a hereditary quirk of UK tax law, under which he is registered as “non-domiciled”, courtesy of his Italian-American father. The HSBC records suggest Caring’s $1m donation was paid in return for former president Bill Clinton’s attendance at a lavish costume charity ball organised by Caring in St Petersburg, Russia. [1]
Controlling the banks
In September 2005, Caring withdrew £2.25million in Swiss francs in a suitcase from his bank account in Geneva, HSBC leaks have revealed. It is not known who exactly the money was for, with Caring's lawyers saying, 'It is a private matter in which there was no impropriety on our client's part'. HSBC did not record who was to receive the cash as Caring did not feel 'it appropriate for either bank to be aware of the relationship with the other', only noting he planned to deposit it in 'a new a/c with a separate institution in Geneva'.
According to the bank's files, the funds for the cash handover originated from accounts in Monaco, under the name of Tina Green, wife of Topshop owner Sir Philip Green and close friend of Caring. The bank recorded: 'As we know, until now [Caring] has hesitated from holding the vast majority of his cash assets in his own name, preferring to accept the offer of Mrs Green that she holds them in trust on his behalf.' 'There is no suggestion either of the Greens knew about the consignment of cash, or broke any laws.'
Previously, in July 2005, Caring had made it clear that 'if he was crossed by the bank, he was prepared to take away his lucrative business'.
Despite being born in Britain and living in London, due to his father's US origins Caring is able to claim non-domicile status and therefore able to hold undisclosed funds outside of the UK legitimately.[2]
Political donations
It was revealed in 2006, after pressure was put on the Labour Party to name their secret donors, that Caring had loaned them £2million. Soon after Labour revealed their list, new laws were put into place to ban secret loans to parties.[3]
| Date | Amount | Type of donation | Party donated to | Subsidiary of party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31/03/2010 | £28,993.82 | Sponsorship | Conservative Party | Central party |
| 31/03/2010 | £140,000.00 | Auction prizes | Conservative Party | Central party |
| 23/07/2012 | £45,506.93 | Sponsorship | Conservative Party | Central party |
| 23/07/2012 | £7,500.00 | Cash | Conservative Party | Central party |
The Black and White Ball 2015
On 9 February 2015, the Conservative Party held their 'Black and White Ball' election fundraiser at the Grosvenor Hotel in London. The event was attended by almost the entire Cabinet, except for Boris Johnson and George Osborne who were at the G20 in Istanbul.
Party donors at the ball included: hedge fund boss Stanley Fink (Lord Fink), who wants Britain to rival offshore tax havens with an equally generous tax regime; Subaskaran Allirajah, the founder of Lycamobile, who paid no corporation tax between 2007 and 2014 despite generating millions in revenue; jewellery tycoon Ranbir Singh Suri; and lap dancing club owner Peter Stringfellow.
To raise funds the Party also auctioned one-off prizes, including events with ministers. Richard Caring donated a night's exclusive use of his private members' club 'Annabel's', which sold for £110,000.[5][6]
Affiliations
- UK prime minister David Cameron's Leader's Group - Conservative Party donors who give more than £50k annually.
External resources
- Martin Robinson, Anger over 'dirty deal' which saw 1,100 UK holders of HSBC Swiss accounts dodge prosecution and how the bank's boss walked into a top Government job, Daily Mail, 10 February 2015.
- Jamie Doward, Tycoon owner of The Ivy and Annabel’s hands Tories £290,000, The Observer, 21 November 2015.
Notes
- ↑ Paul Lewis in New York and James Ball in London, Clinton foundation received up to $81m from clients of controversial HSBC bank, The Guardian, 10 February 2015 06.00 EST, accessed same day
- ↑ David Leigh, James Ball, Juliette Garside and David Pegg HSBC files reveal mystery of Richard Caring and the £2m cash withdrawal The Guardian, 9 February 2015, accessed 16 February 2015
- ↑ BBC News, Labour reveals secret loans list, 20 March 2006, accessed 13 February 2015
- ↑ Electoral Commission, Donation Search, accessed 11 February 2015
- ↑ Rajeev Syal and Rowena Mason Conservative donors pay up to £15,000 for table at election fundraiser The Guardian, 9 February 2015, accessed 11 February 2015
- ↑ Rajeev Syal, Rowena Mason and Robert Booth Right bids? Tory auction offers shoe spree with May or 10km run with IDS The Guardian, 10 February 2015, accessed 11 February 2015
