Kremlin: Anglo-Saxon States Create Barriers to Stolen Russian Assets Return

Anglo-Saxon countries never tire of explaining to Russia the importance of fighting corruption but these countries consistently present the highest barriers to the legitimate return of stolen assets, the Kremlin chief of staff said Monday.

ST.PETERSBURG (Sputnik) — According to Sergei Ivanov, the US, Canada and the UK are actively engaged in what they consider the "teaching" of Russia about how crucial and imperative it is to eradicate corruption, but the lesson is nothing but peanut politics.

"The things are going worst of all with the Anglo-Saxon countries: the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. There is no need to explain the reasons, you are all adults and understand everything perfectly. There are cases when a fugitive, frankly a swindler, a cheater or a rascal is granted a refugee status, and that’s how it all ends," Ivanov told reporters.

Commenting on the return of Russian overseas assets obtained through criminal schemes, Ivanov stressed the lion's share of success on the issue depended on friendly bilateral relations between law enforcement agencies of the two countries.

"If there are no good relations and a strict political order to do nothing exists, everything else is meaningless," he concluded.

Earlier in the day, Ivanov took part in the sixth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

The event’s participants focus on finding comprehensive mechanisms to counter corruption both domestically and globally. The conference will end Friday, November 6.