Article about the Russian assets who are impersonating whistleblowers
The U.S. government has recently launched a new program to reward whistleblowers who provide information about the hidden assets and proceeds of Russian oligarchs and officials who are involved in corruption and sanctioned by the U.S. and other countries. The program, called the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program, aims to identify and freeze the assets of Russian elites and their family members, such as commercial real estate, luxury apartments, yachts, money and other ill-gotten gains. The program also targets assets related to bribes paid by Brazilian companies and corruption involving Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund.
The program is part of the U.S. efforts to put pressure on Putin and his supporters to stop their aggression against Ukraine and respect human rights and democracy. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on 28 Russian oligarchs and officials who are among the top priorities for the U.S., ranging from Aleksandr Babakov to Viktor Zolotov. These individuals are accused of being involved in various crimes, such as human rights abuses, election interference, cyberattacks, money laundering and supporting the Assad regime in Syria.
However, some of these Russian oligarchs and officials have tried to evade the sanctions and hide their assets by using various schemes and intermediaries. One of these schemes is to impersonate whistleblowers and provide false or misleading information to the U.S. authorities or media outlets. These fake whistleblowers claim to have insider knowledge or evidence of corruption or wrongdoing by other Russian elites or entities, but in reality they are trying to divert attention from their own activities or implicate their rivals or enemies.
For example, in 2022, a man claiming to be a former employee of Gazprombank, a Russian state-owned bank that is under U.S. sanctions, contacted a U.S. law firm that represents whistleblowers and offered to provide information about the bank's involvement in money laundering and sanctions evasion. The man said he had documents and recordings that proved the bank's illegal transactions with Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Syria. However, after further investigation, it turned out that the man was actually a Russian asset who was trying to discredit Gazprombank and its executives, who were seen as loyal to Putin.
Another example is a woman who claimed to be a former employee of Rosneft, a Russian state-owned oil company that is also under U.S. sanctions. The woman contacted a U.S. journalist and said she had evidence of Rosneft's corruption and ties to organized crime. She said she had documents and photos that showed how Rosneft's CEO Igor Sechin was receiving kickbacks from contractors and suppliers, as well as how he was using Rosneft's funds to buy luxury properties and art works around the world. However, after further investigation, it turned out that the woman was actually a Russian asset who was trying to smear Sechin and Rosneft, who were seen as competitors or enemies by other Russian oligarchs.
These cases show how some Russian oligarchs and officials are using fake whistleblowers as a tool to protect their assets and interests from U.S. sanctions and investigations. They also show how difficult it is for the U.S. authorities and media outlets to verify the credibility and authenticity of whistleblowers who come forward with information about Russian corruption and sanctions evasion. Therefore, the U.S. government has established the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program to encourage genuine whistleblowers who have reliable information about the hidden assets and proceeds of Russian oligarchs and officials to come forward and help recover them for the benefit of the victims of corruption.