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Russian Lawmaker Gives Up Seat After Florida Real Estate Disclosure Russian Lawmaker Quits After Real Estate Disclosure
(about 9 hours later)
MOSCOW — A senior lawmaker from Russia’s ruling party, who was also the chairman of Parliament’s ethics committee, resigned from the legislature on Wednesday over revelations that he owned more than $1.3 million worth of luxury real estate in Florida that he did not list on required disclosure forms. MOSCOW — A senior lawmaker from Russia’s governing party, who was also the chairman of Parliament’s ethics committee, resigned from the legislature on Wednesday over revelations that he owned more than $1.3 million worth of luxury real estate in Florida that he did not list on required disclosure forms.
The lawmaker, Vladimir A. Pekhtin, said that he did not want the scandal to taint his party colleagues in United Russia, and announced his departure at a morning parliamentary session. The lawmaker, Vladimir A. Pekhtin, said that he did not want the matter to taint colleagues in his party, United Russia, and announced his departure at a morning parliamentary session.
He said he had not broken any law, but that “there are very controversial documents that have been made public on the Internet,” and it was necessary to clear up “obvious legal misunderstandings.” Mr. Pekhtin said he had not broken any law. But “there are very controversial documents that have been made public on the Internet,” he said, and it was necessary to clear up “obvious legal misunderstandings.”
“I will give up my mandate, which I always achieved in honest political battle, and my rivals, my opponents, know this,” he said, in comments broadcast on television. “Nevertheless, I will not cling to it. Because I think that my personal matters are secondary to United Russia. Thank you for many years of work, and for your devotion. We will fight on.”“I will give up my mandate, which I always achieved in honest political battle, and my rivals, my opponents, know this,” he said, in comments broadcast on television. “Nevertheless, I will not cling to it. Because I think that my personal matters are secondary to United Russia. Thank you for many years of work, and for your devotion. We will fight on.”
Whether he surrendered his seat voluntarily or under pressure from the Kremlin, Mr. Pekhtin’s departure set a precedent in the Russian government, where high-level corruption and lavish spending overseas have developed into a serious political liability. Hours after Mr. Pekhtin’s announcement came a second resignation — from a United Russia deputy, Anatony Lomakin, an industrialist whose wealth Forbes estimated at $1.2 billion. Whether he surrendered his seat voluntarily or under pressure from the Kremlin, Mr. Pekhtin’s departure set a precedent in the Russian government, where high-level corruption and lavish spending overseas have developed into a serious political liability. Hours after Mr. Pekhtin’s announcement came a second resignation, from a United Russia lawmaker, Anatoly Lomakin, an industrialist whose wealth Forbes estimated at $1.2 billion.
It represents a victory for opposition activists, who have never achieved such a swift response to an exposé. Officials, meanwhile, have been given a powerful reminder of their own vulnerability, said Mikhail Y. Vinogradov, chairman of the St. Petersburg Politics Fund. He added that it was not yet clear whether this case represented a one-time occurrence or “a change in the rules of the game.” The development represents a victory for opposition activists, who have never achieved such a swift response to an exposé. Officials have been given a powerful reminder of their vulnerability, said Mikhail Y. Vinogradov, chairman of the St. Petersburg Politics Fund. He added that it was not yet clear whether this case represented a one-time occurrence or “a change in the rules of the game.”
“This is a way to show that discussion of a ‘battle against corruption’ leaves the majority of officials without protection,” he said. “Naturally, officials’ anxiety over their property will grow for the time being. There won’t be any attempts to torpedo this campaign — they will simply hope that this is just another campaign that will exhaust itself in three or four months. That’s what the representatives of the elite will count on.” “This is a way to show that discussion of a ‘battle against corruption’ leaves the majority of officials without protection,” Mr. Vinogradov said. “Naturally, officials’ anxiety over their property will grow for the time being. There won’t be any attempts to torpedo this campaign — they will simply hope that this is just another campaign that will exhaust itself in three or four months. That’s what the representatives of the elite will count on.”
The blogger Aleksei Navalny, who published documents about Mr. Pekhtin’s extensive real estate holdings last week, was jubilant, remarking that “now he can finally move to Miami and live in peace, without having to listen to any complaints.” The blogger Aleksei Navalny, who published documents about Mr. Pekhtin’s real estate holdings last week, remarked that “now he can finally move to Miami and live in peace, without having to listen to any complaints.”
“In fairness, one must acknowledge that Mr. Pekhtin’s actions show that somewhere deep inside him there are remnants of a conscience,” he wrote on the Web site of Ekho Moskvy, a radio station. “Maybe other members of United Russia felt this, and that’s the reason they named him to the ethics committee? Let’s watch how the others who are hiding foreign property behave.”“In fairness, one must acknowledge that Mr. Pekhtin’s actions show that somewhere deep inside him there are remnants of a conscience,” he wrote on the Web site of Ekho Moskvy, a radio station. “Maybe other members of United Russia felt this, and that’s the reason they named him to the ethics committee? Let’s watch how the others who are hiding foreign property behave.”
Mr. Navalny published the property records last Wednesday, the day after President Vladimir V. Putin proposed legislation that would bar senior Russian officials from holding bank accounts or owning stock outside the country. Property records, discovered by a blogger known as Doctor Z, appeared on Mr. Navalny’s blog a day after President Vladimir V. Putin proposed legislation to bar senior Russian officials from holding bank accounts or owning stock outside the country.
The proposal would not prohibit officials from owning real estate overseas. Still, it signaled a Kremlin crackdown on their lavish spending abroad, so the revelations about Mr. Pekhtin came as an ill-timed embarrassment.The proposal would not prohibit officials from owning real estate overseas. Still, it signaled a Kremlin crackdown on their lavish spending abroad, so the revelations about Mr. Pekhtin came as an ill-timed embarrassment.
The records showed the lawmaker’s name on the deeds of at least three properties in Florida, including a South Beach apartment bought last year for nearly $1.3 million, in a building where Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, also owns a unit.The records showed the lawmaker’s name on the deeds of at least three properties in Florida, including a South Beach apartment bought last year for nearly $1.3 million, in a building where Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, also owns a unit.
Late last year, the newspaper Vedomosti published a report on a huge mansion outside St. Petersburg and other properties belonging to Mr. Pekhtin that he had not disclosed. Last year, the newspaper Vedomosti published a report on a huge mansion outside St. Petersburg and other properties belonging to Mr. Pekhtin that he had not disclosed.
Mr. Pekhtin initially shrugged off the reports, telling the newspaper Izvestiya that he had “practically no” real estate holdings outside Russia, though his grown son did. Within a matter of hours, however, he announced that he was temporarily relinquishing his position as chairman of the parliamentary ethics committee until his name was cleared by an investigation. On Wednesday morning, Mr. Pekhtin cast the affair as a salvo in a larger standoff between social forces in Russia.
On Wednesday morning, Mr. Pekhtin cast the scandal as a salvo in a larger standoff between social forces in Russia.
“In this case, our opponents are not interested in Pekhtin,” he said, according to the news agency Interfax. “They need to discredit the Parliament, the authorities, which are represented by every person sitting in this hall, and every one of us may turn out to be a target for them. As an honest person, I do not want and cannot make peace with this, and I do not want the shadow of unfounded allegations to fall on our party.”“In this case, our opponents are not interested in Pekhtin,” he said, according to the news agency Interfax. “They need to discredit the Parliament, the authorities, which are represented by every person sitting in this hall, and every one of us may turn out to be a target for them. As an honest person, I do not want and cannot make peace with this, and I do not want the shadow of unfounded allegations to fall on our party.”
After Mr. Pekhtin made his announcement, fellow lawmakers gave him a standing ovation and warmly applauded. Many went out of their way to praise his decision. But Sergei Mironov, head of the minority A Just Russia party, said he expected Mr. Pekhtin’s decision was the beginning of a process, not the end. After Mr. Pekhtin made his announcement, fellow lawmakers gave him a standing ovation and warmly applauded. Many went out of their way to praise his decision. But Sergei Mironov, head of the minority A Just Russia party, said he expected that Mr. Pekhtin’s decision was the beginning of a process, not the end.
“Pandora’s box has been opened,” said Mr. Mironov, in comments broadcast on Channel 1. “I don’t doubt that the sixth sitting of the State Duma will have a record number of early terminations of deputies’ authority. For me it is completely obvious that, if there were not some real facts there, the deputy would not have voluntarily given up his authority.”“Pandora’s box has been opened,” said Mr. Mironov, in comments broadcast on Channel 1. “I don’t doubt that the sixth sitting of the State Duma will have a record number of early terminations of deputies’ authority. For me it is completely obvious that, if there were not some real facts there, the deputy would not have voluntarily given up his authority.”