An Iranian businessman sanctioned by the UK government for allegedly funding Iran’s Revolutionary Guards owns a £33.7 million ($44.3 million) mansion on an exclusive London street, according to a report by an investigative watchdog.
56-year-old Ali Ansari, also known as Aliakbar Ansari, is the registered owner of the property in an upscale North London neighborhood, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) said citing land registry records.
A 2017 French company filing lists the mansion as his residence, the report added. The home includes three reception rooms, eight bedrooms, an indoor pool, a cinema, games rooms and library.
According to the report, the mansion was not among previously reported UK real estate linked to Ansari, which includes a dozen other houses on the same street registered to Birch Ventures Limited, an Isle of Man-based company he owns.
Private Eye reported last month that the 12 homes were bought in 2013 for £73 million ($96 million).
The United Kingdom sanctioned Ansari on October 30, alleging corruption and claiming he helped financially support the activities of the Revolutionary Guards.
OCCRP said that in a previous response to the nonprofit investigative journalism organization, company spokesperson Iman Mirzaie said the allegations are baseless, emphatically denied, and political in nature.
Ansari is subject to an asset freeze, disqualification from any UK company ownership and a travel ban. He holds multiple passports, including from Iran, St Kitts and Nevis, and Cyprus, according to UK foreign office.
Ansari held stakes in Ayandeh Bank, one of Iran’s largest private banks, created in 2012 through a merger of a private bank and two credit institutions.
The bank came under scrutiny last month after it was ordered to merge with state-owned Bank Melli following the disclosure of losses exceeding $4 billion.
In a public letter, Ansari said the bank’s operations were halted as a result of decisions made outside its will.
Ayandeh Bank’s license was revoked last month and its operations dissolved.
OCCRP said it contacted a law firm representing Ansari and the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for comment but had not received a response.
