A Russian oligarch has been criticised by the Charity Commission for failing to resign as a trustee from a charity after being sanctioned by the UK government.

Billionaire Dr Viatcheslav Kantor was subject to sanctions last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and his assets in the UK were frozen.

This also meant he was also unable to hold a senior role within a UK registered charity. However, he continued to be listed as a trustee for the charity World Holocaust Forum Foundation, which was set up two years ago to run education and remembrance initiatives around the Holocaust.

The charity was told by the regulator in April last year that Kantor was no longer able to be a trustee, but its response “made no mention” of the Russian billionaire “and his intentions”.

The Commission wrote again to the charity later that month but “no response was received from the charity, and the Commission’s records continued to show Dr Kantor as a trustee of the charity”.

“Having received no representations from Dr Kantor”, he was disqualified from being a trustee in May 2022 by the Commission. This is a lifelong ban from sitting on charity boards.

Due to Kantor’s involvement, the Commission’s inquiry concluded that the charity “was no longer viable and should be wound up and dissolved”. This process was completed during the summer this year.

The regulator found that “the conduct of Dr Kantor fell below that which the Commission expects of trustees” and he is responsible for misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of the charity.

It adds that if a trustee becomes designated as being subject to sanctions “then they must resign from their position immediately or they will be in breach of charity law”.

“Once designated, Dr Kantor became prohibited from holding, accessing, or managing the charity’s property,” said the regulator.

“However, despite his designation, Dr Kantor did not resign from his position and ignored and failed to respond to the Commission’s regulatory concerns about his continued involvement and role in the charity.”

The Charity Commission’s inquiry has revealed that Kantor contacted the Commission for the first time in September this year, after the charity had been wound up.

He denies misconduct or mismanagement and said that the government’s decision to ‘designate’ him was “flawed”. He is in the process of challenging this decision, according to the regulator’s inquiry.

Kantor also told the Commission that “he had appreciated and understood that it was necessary for him to step down from involvement entirely and absolutely within the charity” when he was removed in May 2022.

But the regulator added: “Whilst the Commission notes this admission, Dr Kantor did not convey this view to the Commission at that time.”

The inquiry into the World Holocaust Form Foundation was one of three into charities with links to Kantor.

Last year statutory inquiries were also opened into two grant making trusts The Kantor Charitable Foundation and the Kantor Foundation.

“The Commission is clear that designated persons cannot legally act as trustees,” said Joshua Farbridge, the regulator’s head of compliance, visits and inspections.

“By failing to step down, coupled with his failure to cooperate with the Commission, Dr Kantor’s conduct fell below that which the Commission expects of trustees.

“Where wrongdoing occurs in a charity, the Commission will ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions or lack of. In Dr Kantor’s case this meant removal from office and a lifelong disqualification from acting as a trustee for any other charity.

“Our inquiry concluded that, subsequent to Dr Kantor’s designation, the charity had no viable future and should be wound-up.”

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