Russian Officials React against US Accusation on President Putin

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Acting under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the US Treasury Adam Szubin made a shocking claim on January 25 2016 through BBC Panorama program that was aired this Monday. The claim may put relation between U.S and Russia in serious strain as Mr. Adam’s claim directly aimed at Russian President Vladimir Putin and how according to him the man is “a picture of corruption”.

"We've seen him enriching his friends, his close allies, and marginalizing those who he doesn't view as friends using state assets. Whether that's Russia's energy wealth, whether it's other state contracts, he directs those to whom he believes will serve him and excludes those who don't. To me, that is a picture of corruption,” Mr. Adam stated in BBC panorama program.

On the following day after the program was aired, President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov rebutted such claim and told BBC that earlier notion expressed was “pure fiction”, as cited in Iranian local news portal Presstv.ir.

“The airing of such accusations from such an institution as the US Treasure without concrete proof to back them up casts a shadow on this institution,” Peskov explained.

Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Mr. Mikhail Galuzin similarly rebutted such claim and went to explain that Russia’s President Putin’s attention has been focused on bringing corruptors to justice.

“During 2-3 years of President Putin’s Presidency, very high ranking federal officials who were found guilty of corruption charges were brought to justice and given sentences by the court,” Ambassador Galuzin shared on Thursday 28 January 2016 at his residence during press briefing held.

“Fighting corruption is one of President Putin’s main agenda”, he further clarified.

On January 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in front of government officials and attendees of the session for the Presidential Anti- Corruption Council addressing the notion of fighting corruption and admits that it is “an extremely complicated task that requires time, but society must gradually fulfill it or face even bigger problems”, cited in RussiaToday.

“The question is not in achieving some brilliant victories in this sphere today or tomorrow, this is a very difficult task. But if we stop now, things will only get worse. We must move only forward,” Putin said at the session of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Council.