An anti-corruption nonprofit has called for a £2.6 million contribution to Oxford University from the son of a sanctioned Russian tycoon to be returned, calling it “unacceptable.”
Said Gutseriev, the son of Mikhail Gutseriev, an oil magnate with a strong ties with Belarus’ ruler, donated the funds to the institute.
It was given to the university’s anthropology and archaeology department in May 2019, three years before Gutseriev senior’s punishment.
However, the gift occurred just months after Said received oil shares worth millions of pounds from his father.
There is no evidence that Said, a British citizen, has committed any wrongdoing. The government has not sanctioned him in any way.
The 34-year-old was an Archaeology and Anthropology student at St Peter’s College in Oxford.
‘It is simply unacceptable for a prominent British institution to keep funding from a businessman who has worked as a key corporate figure in Russia under Putin’s government,’ Susan Hawley, executive director of the non-profit Spotlight on Corruption, said.
‘Oxford University must either hand up this money or it will be confiscated.’
In honour of his late sibling, he made the contribution as an individual.
A mention to the ‘Gutseriev family’ in a university article about the contribution was in honor of Chingiz Gutseriev’s loss to the whole family.
‘We are profoundly thankful to Mr Gutseriev and his family for their generous benefaction,’ said Professor Anne Trefethen, a pro-vice-chancellor of Oxford, at the time.
His father, Mikhail, was sanctioned by the United Kingdom because of his ties to Belarus’s President Lukashenko.
According to the Times, he transferred 398 shares in Lanbury Trading Limited to his son in November 2018, bringing his shareholding in the company from 80% to 100%.
It controlled 100 percent of JSC Daglis, a Russian corporation with an interest in SFI.
According to SFI’s annual reports, both individuals served on the board of directors from 2017 to 2020, with Said Gutseriev now having a 30% share in the firm.
Said had a grandiose wedding six years ago, which was attended by a galaxy of music stars.
The wedding featured performances by Sting, Jennifer Lopez, and Enrique Iglesias, as well as a fleet of Rolls-Royces to transport the guests.
The fellowship was exclusively supported by earnings from Said’s own successful investments in technology-focused start-ups, according to APCO Worldwide, which manages Said Gutseriev’s communications.
‘Any allegation that the fellowship was supported by an other source would be false.’
‘Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is generating a humanitarian disaster in Europe,’ Oxford University says.
‘All sanctions imposed in the present situation are supported by the University, and we will follow them.’
‘All decisions about significant donations are made by the University’s Committee to Review Donations and Research Funding, which includes independent, external representatives, who consider the reputational risks based on the source of the funding and its intended use in the University.
‘The Chingiz Gutseriev Associate Professorship in Archaeology and Anthropology was established at Oxford University in 2019, following an endowment of £2.6 million to the University by Said Gutseriev.
‘The Professorship is named for the donor’s late brother, Chingiz Gutseriev. The post sits between the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, the School of Archaeology, and St Peter’s College, where Said Gutseriev studied.
‘The current post holder conducts research, lectures and teaches at the interface of Archaeology and Anthropology.’