The Bishops Avenue in Hampstead has been home to everyone from Ariana Grande to King Constantine II of Greece. In 2013, Ali Ansari, an Iranian banker, bought 11 properties on and around the avenue for a total of £73m through Birch Ventures, his company registered in the Isle of Man. In October last year, Ansari was sanctioned by the UK over his alleged ties to Iran’s brutal regime. The Foreign Office accused him of “financially enabling the work of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps”, which he has denied. All of Ansari’s London properties have been frozen since.