Vitaly Malkin

Vitaly Malkin
Виталий Малкин
Born	(1952-09-16) 16 September 1952 (age 72)[1] Pervouralsk, Russia, Soviet Union
Nationality	Russian, Israeli
Occupation(s)	Businessman, politician,

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

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.^{[citation needed]} He officially retired from business in 2004, when he became a member of Federation Council, representing the east Siberian republic of Buryatia (from 2004 to 2013).^[2][3] In 2012, he 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. The Canadian government has accused him of involvement in alleged money laundering and international arms deals.^[5]

In 2013, Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny published documents on his blog, showing that Malkin has failed to declare ownership of 111 condominiums in Canada and that he has an Israeli passport.^[3] In March 2013, Malkin resigned from Federation Council over the dual nationality issue.^[6]

References

1. "Малкин Виталий Борисович". Совет Федерации Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации (in Russian). Retrieved 29 November 2022.
2. "#1062 Vitaly Malkin". Forbes. 3 May 2008. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
3. Nikolaus von Twickel (14 March 2013). "Navalny Targets Senator Malkin". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
4. Susan Cornwell (12 July 2012). "Russian delegation hits Washington to lobby against "Magnitsky" sanctions". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
5. Adrian Humphreys (3 June 2009). "From Russia with difficulty; Oligarch Vitaly Malkin just can't get into Canada". National Post. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
6. Lipshiz, Cnaan (27 March 2013). "Russian Jewish senators resign amid double nationality scandal". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2020.