Russia presidential hopeful proposes “economic amnesty”

PanARMENIAN.Net - Billionaire presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov will introduce an “economic amnesty” to fight corruption in Russia if he wins the presidential election, he said during a TV debate with Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, RIA Novosti reported.

“You need to give a chance to those who have stolen. You need to say honestly: 'pay taxes on what has been stolen so everybody can see.'”

“I don’t need money. I already have everything. That’s why I know how to fight corruption. I’ll bring in a team that doesn’t take money and we will quickly stamp out this evil,” Prokhorov said. Prokhorov said capital obtained by dubious means in the 1990s would be legalized, but taxes would have to be paid on that capital.

Prokhorov is the third richest Russian with an estimated wealth of $18 billion, according to the Forbes list published in April 2011.