Moscow preparing list of Western banks laundering illegal capital from Russia

The National Investment Council of Russia plans to draw up a list of western banks laundering money illegally taken out of Russia, its president Alexander Lebedev said on Thursday. The National Investment Council groups heads of major banks and industrial companies of Russia.

In Lebedev's opinion, it is necessary to create political and economic incentives for repatriation of the capital taken out of the country. Such incentives could be "edging out" Russian money from western banks and guaranteeing high returns on their investment in Russia, the president believes.

As estimated by this organisation, 100 to 150 billion dollars have left Russia over the past 10 years. Only 3 to 5 per cent of it has criminal origins, with the rest fleeing high political and economic risks in the country, Lebedev believes.

In his view, 5 to 10 banks in Switzerland, France and Luxembourg can "regurgitate" 5 to 15 billion dollars each, and up to half of the flight capital may return to Russia.