[1] The trustees were Ms Rayner, her then husband Mark Rayner, and a third-party trustee. Verrico & Associates (the conveyancer[8]) ranks as a so-called ‘obliged entity’ under Anti-Money Laundering regulations and it has obligations under the law which it must discharge both regarding Ms Rayner herself and the £162,000 deposit. Ms Rayner should have been put through Enhanced Due Diligence given her status as a Politically Exposed Person (a PEP), and before her being taken on as a client by Verrico. The internal report compiled by Verrico on Ms Rayner needs to come into the public domain. Again the respective application by Ms Rayner and the evidence she submitted that her representations were true need to come into the public domain.

Source: The Guardian January 31, 2026 08:56 UTC