Alexei Navalny has filed a lawsuit against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the $1.75 billion transfer from the National Welfare Fund to the Russian petrochemical enterprise Sibur. Navalny alleges that Putin has a personal interest over the huge amount transferred from the state to the company where his son-in-law is a shareholder.
The Russian anti-corruption campaigner is accusing Putin of failure to declare a conflict of interest. In the court papers, Navalny mentioned Reuter's investigation where it was said that Putin's son-in-law, Kirill Shamalov is a shareholder. As per Reuter, Sibur received $1.75 billion funds from Russia's National Wealth Fund last year. The fund was given at a very low interest rate which is very strange. Navalny claimed that the Russian president is guilty of conflict of interest after he approved the $1.75 billion transfer without declaring it.
"It so happened (SUDDENLY) that after Kirill Shamalov (son-in-law) became a SIBUR shareholder, Vladimir Putin (father-in-law) really fell in love with Sibur.... An allotment of money to a company in which one of the beneficiaries is the spouse of the president's child is a classical conflict of interests. It's right out of the textbook," wrote Navalny in a post on his blog entitled "I've filed a lawsuit against Putin because of his son-in-law and am convinced that I'll win."
Navalny, the head of the Fight Against Corruption Foundation claimed that Shamalov was the beneficiary of the $1.75 billion transfer. He added that the president violated Russian corruption law. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Putin is not aware of the lawsuit filed by Navalny. RBTH says that the Moscow court has denied proceedings on the lawsuit claiming Navalny's accusations are not subject to consideration by administrative proceedings.
"In itself the battle isn't a criminal offense. Such a state of affairs can happen and crucial factor is to take measures, declare it as a battle of pursuits and if mandatory, recuse oneself," the opposition figurehead further wrote in his blog.
Screen Play.Mobi reported that Peskov earlier denied the allegations that Katerina Tikhonova is Putin's youngest daughter. Meanwhile, a representative of Sibur claimed that the state loan was approved in accordance with the law. The company allegedly complied with the procedures needed to invest funds in infrastructure projects.
An earlier investigation by Reuters revealed that Shamalov married Katerina Tikhonova, the youngest daughter of Putin right after acquiring a majority share in Sibur in 2013.
