Russian oligarchs' earnings become exposed to the public eye

A CD constraining extensive database about oligarchs' income costs only $200

It is an open secret that information which Russians provide for governmental structures sooner or later becomes absolutely declassified. Recently, it has become known that the fiscal authority database as concerning personal incomes of Muscovites has illegally leaked to the black market. This CD contains even much more information besides the info about personal incomes.

Russia's Vedomosti newspaper has got a copy of the database under the name “Incomes of Moscow individuals in 2003”, the information that employers and employees submit to fiscal authorities. The database contains the names, addresses, personal data and information about employment of over nine million Muscovites and the amount of their incomes over 2003. Those who sell the illegal CD say that they sold the very first copies only to reliable clients for several thousands of dollars each; today when the edition of the CD is great enough one disk costs $50-200.

According to the facts stated on the CD, Vladimir Putin earned 1 million 643 thousand 700 rubles in 2003, 212 thousand 511 rubles of the sum were paid in taxes. The Presidential Administration allowed no comments as concerning the fact. As for the data about earnings of the Vedomosti newspaper staff reported on the CD, it is quite correct.

The Vedomosti published no names of the top 100 of Moscow's richest citizens, it just names chairman of the board of governors at Baltic Construction Company Igor Naivalt and LUKOIL President Vagit Alekperov. The businessmen are indignant at the leakage.

However, this situation is quite typical of Russia where secrets often become public. Last year, one could easily buy illegal CDs with the information about earnings of Muscovites over 1999-2002. From time to time, bank transactions of Russian companies including secret operations of the Central Bank also leak. Chairman of the Duma Bank Committee Vladislav Reznik says that not hackers but negligent governmental officials are guilty of the leakage of the confidential information. “Unfortunately, law enforcement structures have no opportunity or desire to investigate such outrageous scandals,” Vladislav Reznik adds.