DATE=9/1/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA CORRUPTION (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-253331
BYLINE=EVE CONANT
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Several members of Russia's political
elite are charging that the recent barrage of
allegations in the Western press concerning money
laundering are part of a well-coordinated effort
to undermine Russia's role in world affairs. V-
O-A Moscow correspondent Eve Conant reports that
Russian leaders are calling the allegations a
Western-led smear campaign against their country.
TEXT: Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov says
allegations that Russian officials and organized
crime groups laundered billions of dollars
through U-S banks are unsubstantiated attempts to
damage Russia's prestige.
/// Act Ivanov in Russian in full and fade under
///
"These are attempts by the western press to cast
a shadow on U-S - Russia relations," he says.
"These are political games linked to the upcoming
elections in Russia and the U-S," he says.
The allegations, which were first reported a week
ago in the New York Times newspaper, say the
laundered funds may include stolen U-S aid money,
International Monetary Fund (I-M-F) loans, and
criminal profits.
The Foreign Minister's statements mark the first
official reaction to the financial scandal. His
response follows comments by U-S Treasury
officials that they will oppose the release of I-
M-F loans to Russia until they are certain
previous loans were not siphoned off by corrupt
officials.
Western news reports say as much as 15 billion
dollars worth of Russian money may have passed
though the Bank of New York over the past year
and half. Some news reports have called Russia a
"gangster state" and described members of the
elite as "robber barons."
One person linked in the press to the money-
laundering scheme is Russia's former Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. He told reporters
Wednesday there was no way western loans could
be linked to Bank of New York accounts.
/// ACT Chernomyrdin in Russian in full and fade
under ///
He says, "What does this have to do with I-M-F
money? This is stupidity," he says. "Someone is
obviously interested in stirring up this
nonsense."
/// OPT /// Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta
newspaper writes that the scandal is a sign the
West no longer needs Russia and can afford to
ruin its reputation. Another newspaper echoed
Foreign Minister Ivanov's statement that the
scandal is linked to attempts to influence
presidential elections in both the United States
and Russia. /// END OPT ///
The I-M-F has granted Russia more than 20 billion
dollars in loans since the breakup of the Soviet
Union in 1991, and is considering another
installment of 640 million dollars. According to
most Russian and Western estimates, over 100
billion dollars worth of capital has been
transferred out of the country since 1992.
(Signed)
NEB/EC/GE/KL
01-Sep-1999 11:17 AM EDT (01-Sep-1999 1517 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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