U.S. senators request verification of income sources and assets of Putin and his family
U.S. senators have drafted a bill on personal sanctions against Russian officials involved in the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
In particular, the document requires “a report on the sources and extent of the personal wealth of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and his family members”. The bill provides for the freezing of assets and denial of visas to officials responsible for gross violations of international law, including the recent poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
The bill obliges the U.S authorities to determine whether the Russian authorities violated international agreements on the prohibition of the use of chemical and biological weapons, and requires increased contacts with Berlin to convince Germany to abandon the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline.
The bill is initiated by Democrats Chris Coons, Ben Cardin (author of the Magnitsky Act), Chris Van Hollen and Republicans Marco Rubio and Mitt Romney.
Alexey Navalny was hospitalized in August with symptoms of severe poisoning. Laboratories in the EU have found traces of the Russian-developed military poisonous substance Novichok in his body. The U.S. and the European Union called on Moscow to investigate the attack. No criminal cases related to the poisoning have been initiated in Russia.