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US Treasury Tells BBC Putin Is “Corrupt” [Picture]
In a case of what may be the pot calling the kettle black, US Treeasury officials told the BBS that it considers Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader to be ‘corrupt’. Does that mean uncontrollable? Putin is alleged to have squirreled millions, perhaps billions of dollars from Russia’s vast oil and mineral wealth. Here is part of what the interview says:
The US Treasury has told a BBC investigation that it considers Russian President Vladimir Putin to be corrupt.
The US government has already imposed sanctions on Mr Putin’s aides, but it is thought to be the first time it has directly accused him of corruption.
His spokesman told the BBC that “none of these questions or issues needs to be answered, as they are pure fiction”.
Last week a UK public inquiry said Mr Putin had “probably” approved the murder of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko.
Secret wealth
Litvinenko, a former Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent and fierce critic of Mr Putin, was poisoned in London with radioactive polonium in 2006.
Adam Szubin, who oversees US Treasury sanctions, has told BBC Panorama that the Russian president is corrupt and that the US government has known this for “many, many years”.
