Russian Finance Minister on laundering Iraqi money

Russian Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin stated to journalists that he had no information on laundering illegally received money or financing terrorist organizations via Iraqi accounts at Russian banks. He pointed out that Russian legislation allows for "freezing accounts only if they are involved in money laundering" and financing terrorist organizations. "We shall act based on our legislation and international agreements, in which Russia participates," the Minister stressed.

Kudrin also pointed out that he could have no information on accounts of the Iraqi government at Russian banks, as "bank secrecy concerns everyone, except for special officers of the Financial Monitoring Committee".