U.K. parliamentarians as well as civil society activists have questioned the effectiveness of sanctions because of the government’s exemptions granted to sanctioned individuals - some associated with the Russian government - in order to pay for personal expenses some may call lavish.

While sitting on the U.K. Parliament’s defense committee, Conservative Party MP Bob Stewart failed to disclose his directorship at a foreign defense company owned by a controversial Azerbaijani businessman, a new investigation published on Wednesday shows.