Posts Tagged ‘Hermitage’
EU backs freeze on Russian assets for prison death
The European Parliament urged EU governments Thursday to freeze the assets of Russian officials involved in the death in prison of a corporate lawyer, and pressed Russia to do more to punish those who commit crimes against Kremlin critics.
The parliament also encouraged European Union states to ban visas for the officials but, after Russian lobbying in recent days, softened the language of the resolution focusing on the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
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Legal proceedings test whether Russia will move closer to West
Two separate legal proceedings this week are freighted with significance for Russia, helping determine whether the country will move closer to the West or remain an arm’s-length acquaintance, widely regarded with suspicion.
The second trial of former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky resumes in Moscow on Wednesday, with the judge expected to begin rendering his verdict, a process that could take days. And Thursday, the European Parliament is scheduled to vote on a proposal to ban visas and seize assets of Russian officials linked to the death in custody of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who was arrested after uncovering a $230 million fraud scheme.
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Fighting corruption not priority for Russian leadership
Moscow Times
The gap between Russia’s authorities and citizens has become larger than ever. The country’s kleptocracy has degraded to such a level that criminal gangs and government officials have teamed up to create powerful organized crime syndicates. This was demonstrated in the recent Kushchyovskaya tragedy, but there are hundreds – if not thousands – of Kushchyovskayas across Russia.
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Optimism of the will: defending human rights in Russia
The second week of December promises to be highly symbolic for all those interested in human rights in Russia. [10 December] is Human Rights Day, and in five days time the verdict in the second trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky will be handed down. Simon Cosgrove looks forward, reflects back and salutes the courage of Russia’s human rights activists.
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Battle against corruption is an uphill struggle
Economist Intelligence Unit
SUMMARY
Corruption has become arguably Russia’s biggest problem, hampering its ability to recover from the 2008-09 economic crisis and preventing meaningful diversification of the economy away from natural resources. The crisis hit Russia hard, and its economy would also be likely to fare badly in any future global downturn. There are signs that the president, Dmitry Medvedev, is gradually moving against bribery, graft and outright pilfering of national resources by corrupt bureaucrats. However, this is a major challenge, and there is a high risk that progress will be insufficient to tackle this major obstacle to Russia’s economic development.
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From top to bottom, how corruption infects Russia
The claims made in the WikiLeaks cables come as no surprise to Shaun Walker.
Everywhere you look in Russia, there are stories of corruption, whether it’s a traffic policeman shaking down a motorist for a few pounds, or a businessman complaining that top-ranking government officials demanded millions of pounds in kickbacks or bribes. So the allegations contained in WikiLeaks’ US diplomatic cables originating in Moscow are not that surprising to anyone who knows the country well.
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‘A COUNTRY RUN BY GANGSTERS’
The Daily Express
Along with the crushing disappointment that followed the announcement that Russia and not England will host the 2018 World Cup, it was impossible to silence another sentiment: the Russians bought it. World Cup host Russia has, it’s alleged, a Mafia that controls politics and police, and hitmen ensure there’s a rule of fear.
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A Crackdown on Kleptocrats – The law is catching up with Russia’s corrupt oligarchs
The Spectator
Moscow’s White House is a fairly pleasing pile, at least by the standards of late Soviet architecture. Its colonnaded white stone facade enjoys handsome views over the Moscow River, and its interiors are a symphony in green malachite, light teak and gold ormolu, a mid-1990s decorating style best described as mafia rococo.
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A Year Later, No Charges In Magnitsky Death As EU Mulls Visa Bans
It has been more than a year since Hermitage Capital Management lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in prison, but it will be at least another three months before Russian officials are prepared to make any definitive statements about it.
The investigation into Magnitsky’s Nov. 16, 2009, death in one of Moscow’s most notorious jails has been extended until Feb. 24. Magnitsky, who was awaiting trial on tax evasion charges, alleged before his death that he was tortured and denied adequate medical care—and that Russian authorities were seeking to pressure him into withdrawing allegations of fraud directed at the country’s interior ministries and into implicating Hermitage founder William Browder.
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