Co-op refuses will-writing service to client born in Russia

A London resident identified as AK says the Co-op's will-writing service refused to update a will after discovering they were born in Russia. They asked the service to update a will it drew up in 2020 naming their partner and daughter as beneficiaries, and received no follow-up for two months.

When they chased the matter, they were told the request had been cancelled because they were born in Russia. They say they moved to the UK as a child, revoked Russian citizenship in 1999 and now hold British and German nationality. An adviser checked that they had no ties to Russia or Russian assets and rebooked an appointment, but the rebooked slot was not kept; when the client called they were told the appointment had been 'erroneously' cancelled because of their country of birth and it was rebooked again.

The later call was terminated within minutes. The Co-op told them it had received 'specialist legal advice' instructing it not to provide advice to anyone born in Russia regardless of current citizenship or ties, and said it would proceed if the client provided a certificate proving they had renounced Russian citizenship.

The Guardian notes that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine strict financial restrictions apply to those connected to the Russian government and its war aims, and that penalties for breaching the sanctions include imprisonment of up to seven years, prompting some firms to take a cautious approach.

Key Topics

Business, Co-op, Russia, Sanctions Regulations, Hm Treasury, Will Writing