Senior Reform UK figures attend launch of How to Launder Money book | Reform UK

The choice of book title was How to Launder Money. It definitely drew attention. But still, the book’s co-author, George Cottrell, claims he knows what he’s talking about.

Cottrell, a close aide to Nigel Farage, spent several months in a US prison after being convicted of wire fraud there in 2017; this is a part of his life he talked about at his book launch party on Thursday night.

Farage was among the guests at the luxury Raffles hotel in Whitehall, along with many senior members of Reform UK, but the party leader was happy for the spotlight to fall on Cottrell and his co-author, the Lawrence Burke Files, for once.

One participant said: “George declared: ‘There is nothing in this book that would help money launderers or criminals. And he made a funny joke about doing extensive research for the book, even though unfortunately most of it was in the FBI’s possession.”

Published by Biteback, owned by Lord Ashcroft, the book is subtitled: A Guide for Law Enforcement, Prosecutors and Policy Makers. The blurb reads: “Criminals already know how to launder money; this is partly their inside story.”

Among those attending the event were Reform MP Richard Tice, the party’s treasurer Nick Candy and London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham.

They were joined by a number of Reform staffers, UK News presenter and former Brexit party MP Martin Daubney, and Cambridge University philosophy professor and Farage’s senior adviser James Orr.

“How to Launder Money offers a look behind the magician’s curtain to see the crooked levers of finance and how they are pulled,” Cottrell and Burke Files write in an introduction that describes anti-money laundering laws as a “complex failure” that burdens legitimate businesses.

He cites Burke Files’ experience, having worked in finance for more than 40 years, much of it as an investigator and expert in due diligence. He is the former head of corporate finance at investment bank American National.

As for Cottrell, the foreword notes that he was “introduced to the world of finance from a young age”, starting a career as a financier in London after leaving school before “catching the political bug” and, in 2014, beginning a long-term relationship with British and international politics.

“George was arrested by the IRS in 2016 [the US Internal Revenue Service] “Officers at the Republican national convention had flown with a group of prominent British Brexiteers,” he adds. He was with others, including Farage, then the leader of Ukip, when he was arrested as he stepped off a plane at Chicago’s O’Hare airport.

“The arrest relates to charges dating back to his years in the financial industry and allegations of a money laundering conspiracy,” he says, noting that he spent eight months in prison before being released, and all but one charge were dropped. Guard had previously reported He said prosecutors recommended the judge in the case offer Cottrell a light sentence because he was willing to “provide additional information to federal agents after his arrest” as part of a plea agreement.

“George has recently worked as an international political consultant, developing his art collection and dedicating himself to philanthropy while running his political consultancy Geostrategy.com,” the book’s introduction adds.

She later states, “Are we cheerleaders for crime? No. Quite the opposite.” The authors appeal to law enforcement officers for whom they “take off our hats with our hands over our hearts.”

Farage himself is mentioned on one page; he refers to it in the context of a debate about the consequences for politically exposed persons (PEPs) of banks’ “de-risking,” which involves financial institutions ending or limiting ties with other banks and customers or regions deemed high risk for money laundering.

Describing Farage as “a central figure in the Brexit process”, the article describes how his account was closed by Coutts and adds that it was later revealed that his political views and PEP status influenced this decision.

Cottrell and Burke Files write that banking has become a consequence of social belief systems rather than a consequence of money laundering risks.

“Even Orwell could not have imagined this; the slope is getting slippery by the day,” they add.

Burke Files told the Guardian that the book is about having a conversation about money laundering and sharing with law enforcement and the public what criminals already know about money laundering.

“This is also a call to review the failures and negative impacts on people, finance and international development. We hope this will be a catalyst to start discussions to make a difference,” he said.