The Ukraine invasion already developed into a global war. At least on an economic level. U.S. officials started to label Russian oligarchs as kleptocrats. On 2 March 2022, the Government announced the multilateral taskforce KleptoCapture, FinTelegram reported. As part of the effort to go after the allegedly stolen assets of the Russian oligarchs a/k/a kleptocrats, the U.S. Treasury also launched the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program (KARP), under which whistleblowers are rewarded with up to $5 million.
The program offers up to $5 million rewards for information leading to seizure, restraint, or forfeiture of assets linked to foreign government corruption, including the Government of the Russian Federation. The U.S. government has also provided 28 names of Russians that they are particularly interested in receiving information.
On 16 March 2022, the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a second alert underling the importance of identifying and quickly reporting suspicious transactions involving real estate, luxury goods, and other high-value assets of sanctioned Russian elites and their family members and those through which they act (collectively, “sanctioned Russian elites and their proxies”).
The U.S. Government encourages whistleblowers with information to send an email to [email protected] or call +1 202-622-2050.
On March 1, 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden announced the U.S. Government’s intent to identify and freeze the assets of sanctioned Russian elites and family members, including their yachts, luxury apartments, money, and other ill-gotten gains. Biden stuck the label kleptocrats on the Russian oligarchs.
The question is how the Western Allies will take back the definition of oligarchs as kleptocrats. This definition seems to have come to stay. Oligarchs will remain outlaws in the West.
