Vitaly Malkin

Vitaly Malkin

Vitaly Malkin (born 16 September 1952) is a Russian-Israeli business oligarch and politician who was born in Pervouralsk near Ekaterinburg in central Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. He is married and has three children. His fortune is estimated by Forbes to be $1 billion.

Business/political career

Malkin built his fortune in the banking sector, notably with his business partner Bidzina Ivanishvili. The two men founded Rossiysky Kredit, which was the third largest Russian bank until the financial crisis of 1998.^[1] He has been a member of Russian Senate since 2004 and is now officially retired from business.^[2] He represents the east Siberian republic of Buryatia in the Federation Council since 2004.^[3] In 2012, headed a delegation of four Russian senators in Washington lobbying against the Magnitsky Act. Vitaly Malkin and his colleagues tried to convince American senators that Sergei Magnitsky was a criminal and that he died from pancreatitis.^[4]

Controversy

According to the National Post (Canada), Malkin was denied entry to Canada in May 2009 after a 15-year legal dispute. The Canadian government has accused him of involvement in alleged money laundering and international arms deals.^[5]

In 2013 Russian anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny published documents in his blog, showing that Malkin has failed to declare ownership of 111 condominiums in Canada and that he has an Israeli passport.^[6]

Malkin resigned from Federation Council amid his double nationality scandal.^[7]

References