Political Quotes

“on December 19, as Congress was preparing to leave for the holidays, the Treasury Department notified Congress of its intent to terminate within 30 days a set of Russia sanctions imposed on En+ Group plc (``En+''), UC Rusal plc (``Rusal''), and JSC EuroSibEnergo (``ESE''). Each of these firms were sanctioned because they were owned or controlled by Oleg Deripaska, a notorious Russian oligarch and trusted agent of Vladimir Putin. As Treasury noted when it sanctioned him: ``Deripaska has been investigated for money laundering, and accused of threatening the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, and taking part in extortion and racketeering. There are also allegations that Deripaska bribed a government official, ordered the murder of a businessman, and had links to a Russian organized crime group.'' In its notification letter, Treasury argued it had secured an agreement with Deripaska, the companies and other stakeholders involved to significantly restructure the companies and make corporate governance changes. Under the agreement, Deripaska will remain sanctioned, and his property will remain blocked. The Treasury Department proposes to remove the three firms, including the huge Russian aluminum producer Rusal, from the sanctions list in the belief that the agreement will effectively separate the companies from Deripaska, eliminating his control over them and sharply limiting his influence.…”