Russian banker claims he is granted asylum in UK Behind it are politicians including the former president, Dmitry Medvedev, who is the chief initiator of all this persecution and victimisation. We said that all the criminal cases against me in Russia are nothing but a weapon of that illegal, politically motivated persecution, and the British government decided to give me asylum. Mr Medvedev served for one term as president from 2008 to 2012 before handing back the Kremlin to his ally, Vladimir Putin. He is now prime minister. His spokesman, Natalya Timakova told Vedomosti: "Unfortunately, the practice of receiving political asylum, especially in England, has got to the point that it doesn't matter what the applicant did, it doesn't matter that Interpol is looking for him or what kind of criminal prosecution awaits him. What's important is to announce as loudly as possible that you are being politically persecuted and that will be a guarantee of receiving political asylum. Mrs Timakova added: "If this information is confirmed, then we can only regret that such a crude mechanism has worked once again in Britain." The Home Office does not comment on individual cases. Mr Borodin was close to Yury Luzhkov, the former mayor of Moscow who was ousted three years ago after falling out with the Kremlin, and Mr Luzhkov's billionaire construction magnate wife, Yelena Baturina. He fled to London in 2011 after his bank - which was controlled by Moscow city government - was accused of making a £270m loan to a small company which then used the money to buy a plot of land from Mrs Baturina. Another fruad charge was brought last spring. Mr Borodin says he is innocent of wrongdoing, and that he was forced to sell his share at the Bank of Moscow for a knockdown price in exchange for a promise from a Kremlin envoy that he would be left alone by tax and police authorities. The banker is known for buying Britain's most expensive house in 2011, paying £140m for Park Place Estate, near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. Last year he claimed he had been the target of a surveillance operation there, which he said might have been led by Russian security services. Russia requested Mr Borodin's extradition from Britain last year. Interpol issued a "red notice" for him on its website in August.