The Prosecutor General's Office has confirmed Vladimir Putin's statement from yesterday. They want to interrogate agents from US intelligence agencies. It concerns those who covered for William Browder and those who falsely testified under oath against businessman Denis Katsyv. They were all involved in the Magnitsky case and the following sanction law, the Magnitsky Act.
My colleague Darya Kozlova has more details. She has met with the Prosecutor General's Office's Spokesman, Aleksandr Kurennoy.
Under the Browder case investigation, the Prosecutor General's Office thinks it's necessary to interrogate US security services agents and other government employees. A proper request has already been prepared and may be sent in the near future. These people were seen with William Browder, who has been sentenced in Russia. They also gave false testimony against Russian businessman Denis Katsyv.
Aleksandr Kurennoy, Media Relations Manager for the Prosecutor General's Office: “These are the three NSA employees who had testified in court. Todd Hyman was under oath when he submitted a claim to the court on Browder's behalf. Svetlana Engert stole criminal case materials from Russia. Alexander Shvartsman oversaw Browder's stay in the US.”
The Prosecutor General's Office mentioned some famous names, like the former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul. In 2009 and 2010, he had compiled internal memos from Moscow to the State Department about the Magnitsky case investigation. The Prosecutor's list also includes the Ziff brothers. These US investors had been Browder's criminal partners for years. Since the 1990s, Browder had become a shareholder activist in Russian oil and gas companies, breaking Russian law for the benefit of foreign investors. One of the biggest investors was The Ziff Brothers Investments fund.
Aleksandr Kurennoy: “Browder's criminal group used many tax evasion methods, including offshore companies. They siphoned shares and funds from Russia worth over 1.5 billion dollars. By the way, $400,000 was transferred to the US Democratic Party's accounts from these funds. The Russian president asked us to correct his statement from yesterday. During the briefing, he said it was $400,000,000, not $400,000. Either way, it's still a significant amount of money.”
The Prosecutor General's Office has questions for security services in the US and other countries. Christopher Steele, a former officer of Britain's MI6, gets extra attention. He had contact with a group of lobbyists from the Magnitsky Act, and the Mueller Commission investigation was initiated through him as well. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has been investigating the alleged interference with the US election for over a year now. Donald Trump called this investigation a witch hunt. He said that Mueller's investigation was to blame for the Russian-American relations being at their worst ever.
