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Dec
21
Putin Leaving Office $40B Richer?
Filed Under Vladimir Putin
The Guardian Unlimited reports that Russia’s Vladimir Putin has a huge cache of cash.
The claims over the president’s assets surfaced last month when the Russian political expert Stanislav Belkovsky gave an interview to the German newspaper Die Welt. They have since been repeated in the Washington Post and the Moscow Times, with speculation over the fortune appearing on the internet.
Citing sources inside the president’s administration, Belkovsky claims that after eight years in power Putin has secretly accumulated more than $40bn (£20bn). The sum would make him Russia’s – and Europe’s – richest man.
In an interview with the Guardian, Belkovsky repeated his claims that Putin owns vast holdings in three Russian oil and gas companies, concealed behind a “non-transparent network of offshore trusts”.
More and more, it seems that “public servants” end up becoming multi-millionaires after leaving office. Putin is looking to become the poster boy for all of those pols who crave the riches and wealth that can be accumulated after long terms in office.
