US Investigation Topples Kremlin Propaganda Chief
MOSCOW, RUSSIA—On December 19, Gazprom Media, the Kremlin-controlled information empire, unexpectedly announced the resignation of its chairman, Mikhail Lesin, “for family reasons.” Lesin himself declined to comment…
…In August, US Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) requested that the Justice Department investigate the purchase by Mikhail Lesin of luxury real estate in California totaling $28 million. “That a Russian public servant could have amassed the considerable funds required to acquire and maintain these assets… raises serious questions,” Wicker wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder.
On December 3, US Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik responded to Wicker, confirming that Lesin’s case has been duly referred to the FBI and the Justice Department’s criminal division for investigation. Within days, the Gazprom Media chairman handed in his resignation. “Greetings to M.Y. Lesin, a patriot of California real estate,” quipped Russian anticorruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, who has publicized this case in Russia.
Estonian World Review
12/31/14
Magnolia Tribune
