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Tuesday 26 January 2016 - 12:09

Kremlin dismisses US accusation of corruption against Putin

Story Code : 515494
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov
Adam Szubin, the acting under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the US Treasury, claimed on the BBC Panorama program aired on Monday that Putin was a “picture of corruption.”
 
    Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday, “Concerning the BBC show, this would just be another example of typical irresponsible journalism if it weren’t for the comment by a US Treasury official. Here the situation is different. This is an official accusation.”
 
He asked for proof. “First of all this shows clearly who pulls the strings. Secondly, it requires proof,” Peskov said.
 
“The airing of such accusations from such an institution as the US Treasury without concrete proof to back them up casts a shadow on this institution,” the Russian official said.
 
Peskov had earlier told the BBC that the claims were “pure fiction.”
 
The US and Russia have had strained relations over the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Western countries have imposed a number of sanctions against Moscow over the issue. Russia says the Ukrainian crisis has nothing to do with it.
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