Kremlin’s Bid to Woo Rich Exiles Home Meets Skepticism
- Ombudsman urges end to ‘unfounded’ cases against businessmen
- Putin’s spokesman says there are no plans to offer amnesty
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg
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The Kremlin’s expanding its campaign to woo Russian businessmen and their money back home to include those fleeing prosecution. Skeptical exiles aren’t planning to pack their bags any time soon.
In a letter accompanied by 81 pages of appeals from businessmen, Boris Titov, the Kremlin’s commissioner for entrepreneurs’ rights, asked President Vladimir Putin to order a review of cases against people who’d been “forced” to flee abroad because of allegations “they consider illegal and unfounded.” He asked Putin to ensure “appropriate personal legal guarantees” to allow those who’d been wrongly accused to go back to Russia.