Sergei Magnitsky: 'Russia reverting to 'Stalinist show trials' The court sentenced Mr Browder, who now lives in London, to nine years in jail, but conceded that it could take no further action against Magnitsky as he was already dead. The outcome of the macabre trial prompted renewed calls for Britain to pass its own version of America's "Magnitsky Law," in which a list of Kremlin officials suspected of involvement in the scam have been blacklisted from entering the US. Britain is thought to be reluctant to follow suit for fear of jeopardising efforts to improve trade relations with Russia, already damaged by claims of Kremlin involvement in the London murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the ex-KGB spy. Dominic Raab, a Conservative MP who has led calls for such a law, told The Telegraph: "This sham court case was reminiscent of the worst days of Stalin's show trials. It shows the endemic corruption and cruelty of President Vladimir Putin's regime. I am still pushing for a British version of the Magnitsky Act to create a presumption against dictators' henchmen being allowed to waltz into Britain. Magnitsky, 37, was brought in by Hermitage, which was one of Russia's biggest foreign investors, after corrupt tax officials raided its offices in 2007 and seized subsidiaries of the firm. The officials allegedly used stolen company documents to illegally claim some £140 million in tax rebates. Known for his relish for tough cases, Magnitsky compiled a detailed dossier of suspects in the case, only to find himself flung in jail by the same policemen he had accused. Held for a year in freezing cold, rat-infested cells, he died in a pool of his own urine, having been denied repeated requests for medical attention. Mr Browder, who says the case epitomised Russian gangster capitalism, responded by successfully lobbying Washington to introduce the Magnitsky Law. So far it has been applied to 18 names on a list of 60 alleged suspects. It has also sparked one of the biggest diplomatic rows in recent years with Moscow, which in response has passed legislation prohibiting Americans from adopting Russian children. In practice, Britain is already believed to be observing an unofficial ban on the Magnitsky suspects entering the UK, knowing there would be a public furore were any to be allowed in. But it has stopped short of creating an official list, wary of incurring the Kremlin displeasure already unleashed on Washington. Last week, Mark Harper, the minister for immigration, even asked for a correction to Hansard, the Parliamentary record, to a statement he made in April which appeared to confirm that the government had created such a list. In his amended response, Mr Harper insisted that all visa applications from Russian officials were considered "on individual merits." The diligence which ministers sought to set matters straight was interpreted as a sign of the importance that Britain now places in thawing relations with Moscow. Anxious to boost trade, David Cameron made a trip there in May, the first by a British leader since the Litvinenko affair. The British reluctance to take a similar public stance to the Americans was criticised by Mr Browder. "The British position has been untenable from the start, as the simple question is whether Russian torturers and murders should be allowed to enter the UK," he said. For the Foreign Office to be appeasing the Russians goes against everything Britain stands for.