Abramovich ‘gave Putin £25m yacht’
ROMAN Abramovich gave Vladimir Putin a £25million yacht after he became president of Russia, it was claimed last night.
The gift from the Chelsea Football Club owner is just a small part of Mr Putin’s vast wealth, which is estimated to have reached £28billion.
The 187ft vessel called Olympia has room for ten guests and a crew of 16.
Details emerged as a US Treasury official accused Putin of corruption, nepotism and embezzlement of state funds.
The wealth of the Russian president – whose official salary is about £80,000 – has long been the subject of speculation.
A dossier from a political rival claims Mr Putin stays at more than 20 palaces and country retreats and has 58 planes and helicopters. The report also claims he uses a private jet with an £110million cabin which has a bathroom with gold fittings and a £50,000 toilet.
Mr Putin, who was last week accused of ordering the killing of ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko in London, has often played on his humble beginnings for political gain. Last night Adam Szubin, who oversees sanctions in the US Treasury, said the American government has known of Mr Putin’s corruption for ‘many, many years’.
He told BBC Panorama: ‘ We’ve seen him enriching his friends, his close allies, and marginalising those who he doesn’t view as friends using state assets. Whether that’s Russia’s energy wealth, whether it’s other state contracts, he directs those to whom he believes will serve him and excludes those who don’t. To me, that is a picture of corruption.’
Other perks are said to include a £500million palace on the Black Sea coast and a 2,300-acre residence on Lake Valdai in north-west Russia.
Dmitry Skarga, who ran Russian state shipping firm Sovcomflot, said he oversaw the transfer of the yacht. He said: ‘It’s a fact that Mr Abramovich, through his employee, transferred a yacht to Mr Putin. I was on board of this yacht at the end of March 2002, in Amsterdam.
‘And there was a representative of Mr Abramovich. He said that Roman is the owner of this yacht.’
He said the Olympia was given to Mr Putin via an offshore company, adding: ‘This yacht was maintained and running costs paid for from the state budget.’
Mr Abramovich’s lawyers said the claims were ‘unsubstantiated’ – but did not specifically deny he had given Mr Putin a yacht.
Mr Putin’s spokesman said the claims were ‘pure fiction’.