Vladimir Putin's economic pointman reported $12.6 million in joint family income on Thursday in a disclosure published following allegations that he had made huge profits through crony deals.
The Russian government released income declarations for First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and dozens of other top officials ranging from Putin to outgoing Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev.
Russia's ruling tandem of president-elect Putin and Medvedev reported a comparatively paltry 3.7 million rubles ($124,000) and 3.3 million rubles ($114,000) in 2011 income respectively. Neither reported owning any property abroad.
But the list was being watched closely for Shuvalov, a fast-rising insider who replaced the veteran finance minister Alexei Kudrin as the head of Russia's economy last year.
The close Putin ally and prime candidate for a top post in Russia's new government has admitted to making multi-million dollar investments in state companies via an offshore trust.
One of the deals saw him put nearly $20 million in the energy giant Gazprom in 2004. Shuvalov was a key negotiator and newsmaker on the state company at the time.
The deals were also reported by the Financial Times and some Moscow papers. Shuvalov later explained that his income helped him maintain his independence from "various groups of influence" in Russian government circles.
Thursday's disclosures show Shuvalov making 9.6 million rubles ($325,000) in 2011 income.
His wife Olga Shuvalova declared 365 million rubles ($12.3 million) in income along with leased property holdings in Britain and Austria as well as the United Arab Emirates.
The Shuvalov family's investment in Gazprom returned some $80 million in 2007 into a firm that was registered in the Bahamas and listed under Olga Shuvalova's name.
The money was transferred through a company owned by Suleiman Kerimov -- a billionaire senator who also owns the Anzhi Makhachkala football club and reportedly enjoys good access to the Kremlin.
Shuvalov argues that all of the deals were in full compliance with Russian legislation and there has been no implication of him breaking the law.
Some analysts link the release of reports about Shuvalov's business dealings with a fierce battle for top cabinet posts which will be announced after Putin's May 7 inauguration to a third presidential term.
Thursday's income declarations showed the little-known wives of Russia's most senior officials often reporting figures that dwarfed their husbands' pay.
Russian rules do not require officials to report their sources of income to the public and the wives' salaries are in all cases left unexplained.
This practice has flamed widespread media speculation that officials were simply listing their own properties and businesses in the names of their spouse or children to meet formal conflict of interest rules.
The list showed the wife of ex-Kremlin strategist Vladislav Surkov making 125.2 million rubles ($4.2 million) and the spouse of energy chief Igor Sechin tripling her husband's 2011 pay with 9.0 million rubles ($304,000).
Surkov's three houses and four apartments are all registered in his wife's name. Both her first name and business interests remain unreported.
yahoo.com
The Russian government released income declarations for First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and dozens of other top officials ranging from Putin to outgoing Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev.
Russia's ruling tandem of president-elect Putin and Medvedev reported a comparatively paltry 3.7 million rubles ($124,000) and 3.3 million rubles ($114,000) in 2011 income respectively. Neither reported owning any property abroad.
But the list was being watched closely for Shuvalov, a fast-rising insider who replaced the veteran finance minister Alexei Kudrin as the head of Russia's economy last year.
The close Putin ally and prime candidate for a top post in Russia's new government has admitted to making multi-million dollar investments in state companies via an offshore trust.
One of the deals saw him put nearly $20 million in the energy giant Gazprom in 2004. Shuvalov was a key negotiator and newsmaker on the state company at the time.
The deals were also reported by the Financial Times and some Moscow papers. Shuvalov later explained that his income helped him maintain his independence from "various groups of influence" in Russian government circles.
Thursday's disclosures show Shuvalov making 9.6 million rubles ($325,000) in 2011 income.
His wife Olga Shuvalova declared 365 million rubles ($12.3 million) in income along with leased property holdings in Britain and Austria as well as the United Arab Emirates.
The Shuvalov family's investment in Gazprom returned some $80 million in 2007 into a firm that was registered in the Bahamas and listed under Olga Shuvalova's name.
The money was transferred through a company owned by Suleiman Kerimov -- a billionaire senator who also owns the Anzhi Makhachkala football club and reportedly enjoys good access to the Kremlin.
Shuvalov argues that all of the deals were in full compliance with Russian legislation and there has been no implication of him breaking the law.
Some analysts link the release of reports about Shuvalov's business dealings with a fierce battle for top cabinet posts which will be announced after Putin's May 7 inauguration to a third presidential term.
Thursday's income declarations showed the little-known wives of Russia's most senior officials often reporting figures that dwarfed their husbands' pay.
Russian rules do not require officials to report their sources of income to the public and the wives' salaries are in all cases left unexplained.
This practice has flamed widespread media speculation that officials were simply listing their own properties and businesses in the names of their spouse or children to meet formal conflict of interest rules.
The list showed the wife of ex-Kremlin strategist Vladislav Surkov making 125.2 million rubles ($4.2 million) and the spouse of energy chief Igor Sechin tripling her husband's 2011 pay with 9.0 million rubles ($304,000).
Surkov's three houses and four apartments are all registered in his wife's name. Both her first name and business interests remain unreported.
yahoo.com
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