Russian
cellist says funds revealed in Panama Papers came from donations
Sergei
Roldugin, a friend of Vladimir Putin, does not directly answer
allegations but says ‘there’s nothing to catch me out’
Shaun
Walker in Moscow
Sunday
10 April 2016 17.26 BST
The Russian cellist
linked by the Panama Papers to a money trail of billions has spoken
out for the first time since the story broke.
In a story published
by the Guardian last Sunday, the musician Sergei Roldugin was
identified as an old friend of Vladimir Putin linked by documents
from the leak to a number of offshore companies with cash flows of up
to $2bn (£1.4bn).
A week later, in a
20-minute segment aired on Russian state television, Roldugin
dismissed the idea that he was fabulously wealthy or was safeguarding
money and assets for Putin.
Without directly
answering the allegations that he personally controls a series of
assets worth at least $100m, Roldugin insisted his “wealth” was
merely a series of donations from rich businessmen in order to
purchase expensive musical instruments for young Russians.
“Of course I went
around to everyone I could and asked for donations,” said Roldugin,
who runs the House of Music in St Petersburg.
“I’m pleased
that this landed on me. There’s nothing to catch me out on here;
everything is open. In any case I am indeed rich; I am rich with the
talent of Russia,” he added.
Roldugin, whose
brother underwent KGB training with Putin, introduced the Russian
president to his wife and became godfather to his eldest daughter.
A large number of
Putin’s old acquaintances from St Petersburg have become hugely
wealthy in recent years, but until last week Roldugin had kept a low
profile outside the music world.
On Thursday Putin
addressed the allegations for the first time, and said of Roldugin:
“Almost all the money he earned on acquiring musical instruments
from abroad and bringing them to Russia.”
The programme
gathered cultural luminaries such as the Hermitage Museum director
Mikhail Piotrovsky and Valery Gergiev, director of the Mariinsky
Theatre, to speak out on Roldugin’s behalf.
It featured Pavel
Milyutin, a violinist who showed off a 1701 Guarneri instrument that
the programme said was worth several million dollars and had been
provided by Roldugin’s foundation.
Russian state media
has portrayed the Panama Papers leak as a plot aimed at discrediting
Russia, despite the large number of political figures from across the
world who have been implicated.
Putin has suggested
the US government is behind the leaks, and his spokesman Dmitry
Peskov claimed the allegations were based on “Putinophobia”.
On Sunday, state
television alluded to an apparent CIA plot from 2008 in which, it was
claimed, US intelligence agencies had been attempting to purchase the
entire Russian cable television network, and to a plan hatched by the
FSB security services to prevent this from happening, which involved
a number of businessmen transferring a total of $1.5bn into an
offshore account.
The programme
strongly hinted that the offshore accounts belonging to Roldugin
featuring in the Panama Papers were in fact a front for this plan.
“We don’t know
who else’s offshore accounts might be used in the interests of the
country with the help of state business,” said the programme’s
anchor. “Next time let it be a surprise for the CIA. This time they
haven’t worked well and have got the wrong people.”
Roldugin did not
speak personally about the supposed FSB operation during the segment;
instead it was described by an unnamed “FSB operative” who sat
with his back to the camera.
When confronted with
the allegations prior to the publication of material based on the
Panama Papers, Roldugin said: “Guys, I am not ready to give
comments now. These are delicate issues.”
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