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The U.K. authorities has announced sanctions against a British Sikh businessman and a radical associated with him successful the archetypal usage of the country's 'Domestic Counter-Terrorism Regime' to disrupt backing for the pro-Khalistan militant radical Babbar Khalsa.
Gurpreet Singh Rehal, linked with the Panjab Warriors sports concern firm, faces an plus frost and manager disqualification arsenic helium is suspected of belonging to organisations progressive successful coercion successful India, the U.K.'s Treasury section said connected Thursday (December 4, 2025).
Alongside, it besides announced an plus frost against "Babbar Akali Lehar" for promoting and supporting the aforesaid violent group.
"We volition not basal by portion terrorists exploit Britain's fiscal system," said Lucy Rigby, Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
"This landmark enactment shows we are prepared to usage each instrumentality astatine our disposal to choke disconnected backing for coercion – wherever it occurs and whoever is responsible. The U.K. stands firmly with peaceful communities against those who beforehand unit and hatred," she said.
His Majesty's (HM) Treasury said it assesses Rehal to beryllium progressive successful Babbar Khalsa and Babbar Akali Lehar's violent activities, including promoting and encouraging, carrying retired recruitment activities for, providing fiscal services to, arsenic good arsenic supporting and assisting those organisations, including done purchasing weapons and different subject material.
"HM Treasury besides assesses that Babbar Akali Lehar is associated with, and progressive in, Babbar Khalsa's violent activities by promoting and encouraging and carrying retired recruitment activities for the radical and itself,” the section states.
Under this week's crackdown, each funds and economical resources successful the U.K. owned, held oregon controlled by Rehal oregon Babbar Akali Lehar are present taxable to an plus freeze. These designations volition forestall each U.K. persons and entities from dealing with immoderate funds oregon economical resources owned, held oregon controlled by either Rehal oregon Babbar Akali Lehar; oregon making funds, economical resources and fiscal services disposable to oregon for their benefit. This includes immoderate of the entities they ain oregon control, without a licence from HM Treasury oregon an applicable exception.
"Rehal is besides taxable to manager disqualification sanctions which prohibit him from acting arsenic a manager of a institution oregon straight oregon indirectly taking portion successful oregon being acrophobic successful the promotion, enactment oregon absorption of a company," the Treasury said.
This week’s enactment is said to beryllium the effect of adjacent collaboration betwixt the Treasury and policing partners, arsenic portion of what the British authorities said is its determination to support some nationalist information and the peaceful communities affected by terrorism.
Under the Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, HM Treasury tin frost assets and enforce restrictions connected individuals and entities suspected of engagement successful terrorism. This helps forestall violent financing and protects the U.K.’s fiscal strategy from abuse.
Violations of sanctions imposed nether this instrumentality travel with penalties of up to 7 years’ imprisonment connected indictment, oregon civilian penalties of up to 1 cardinal pounds oregon 50% of the breach worth — whichever is greater.
The Treasury noted that Babbar Khalsa, which besides uses the sanction Babbar Khalsa International, is simply a proscribed violent organisation and its appraisal views Babbar Akali Lehar to beryllium an "involved person" nether the regulations.
The sanctions against Rehal widen to organisations owned by him, namely: Saving Punjab, Whitehawk Consultations Ltd and unincorporated organisation/association Loha Designs.
Panjab Warriors, a London-based planetary sports concern firm, successful June completed the acquisition of Morecambe Football Club (FC) successful Lancashire, north-west England.
"This is much than a concern venture; it's a committedness to the fans, the town, and the aboriginal of Morecambe FC," Gurpreet Singh Rehal said connected behalf of Panjab Warriors astatine the time.
Morecambe FC and Panjab Warriors issued a associated connection soon aft the government's sanctions announcement connected Thursday to assertion that Rehal held a "consultancy role" and is nary longer affiliated with either organisation.
"Following caller superior concerns that person travel to light, we took contiguous and decisive action, and his relation with some organisations has been afloat removed," the connection read.
"Both organisations run nether strict governance and compliance standards, and we person utilized this infinitesimal to further fortify our interior processes, including enhanced owed diligence checks for cardinal personnel. We volition proceed to enactment intimately with the applicable authorities and successful afloat alignment with each regulatory requirements," it added.
