Over $430 billion illegally taken out of Russia from 2000 - 2017 says Russian lawmaker

Sputnik
Sat, 28 Apr 2018 00:49 UTC

© Sputnik / Vladimir Fedorenko

Over $430 billion were unlawfully taken out of Russia in the period from 2000 to 2017, Viktor Bondarev, the chairman of the Russian parliament's upper house's Defense and Security Committee, told Sputnik, citing independent estimates.

"According to independent estimates, in the period from 2000 to 2017 some $430.7 billion were taken out of our country. These enormous funds could have been invested in the development of our economy," Bondarev said.

Bondarev stressed that illegal capital flight remained one of the key problems which affects the implementation of development strategies in various sectors of the Russian economy.

The senior lawmaker proposed to introduce certain measures in the legal system, including countering economic crimes and improvement of cooperation between law enforcement and regulating bodies.

Comment: No wonder the City of London likes Russians. And yet, even with all those ill-gotten gains, they are still struggling to keep the Western economies afloat:

• UK threatens to sanction Russian investments, unintentionally helps Russia repatriate offshore wealth
• Russian stocks claw back losses after Monday's dive - Oligarchs lose billions but Central bank confident after market correction
• The Rape of Russia: Extract from Engdahl's new book, Manifest Destiny
• The Rise and Fall of the Russian Oligarchs: How Putin neutralized the despoilers of Russia
• Blimey! ANOTHER Russian Exile Turns up Dead in UK - Suspicious Pattern Emerging - UPDATE

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