Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Vladimir Putin ‘a Picture of Corruption’, Says US Treasury Official

 
A U.S. Treasury official said the United States considers Russian President Vladimir Putin to be corrupt and that it has known this for “many, many years,” the BBC reported on Monday.

Adam Szubin, acting Treasury secretary for terrorism and financial crimes, said in an interview with BBC Panorama that the Russian president has been amassing secret wealth.

“We’ve seen him enriching his friends, his close allies and marginalizing those who he doesn’t view as friends using state assets. Whether that’s Russia’s energy wealth, whether it’s other state contracts, he directs those to whom he believes will serve him and excludes those who don’t. To me, that is a picture of corruption,” Szubin was quoted as saying.

The BBC report said Szubin declined to comment on a 2007 Central Intelligence Agency report that estimated Putin’s wealth at $40 billion, but he said the Russian leader’s stated wealth is an underestimation. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: Euronews

Note: The BBC has reported that the Kremlin responded to the claims made by Szubin. You can review the article here

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