Temporary verified

Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov appointed his acting successor

Against the backdrop of protracted consultations on the formation of a new cabinet of ministers, yesterday it became more or less clear who could take the vacant post of the country's chief financial intelligence officer.

Oleg Markov, who until recently worked as deputy to Viktor Zubkov , who was appointed prime minister last Friday, became the new head of the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring (FSFM). True, Mr. Markov’s official position so far sounds like “interim” head of the service. The fact is that the order of the appointment, which became known only yesterday, was signed by Viktor Zubkov while still the head of the FSFM, before the State Duma’s approval for the post of head of government.

Now, having become Prime Minister, Mr. Zubkov may well make Mr. Markov the “permanent” head of Rosfinmonitoring. However, it is unlikely that an order in this regard will be signed before the announcement of the new government. This is indirectly confirmed by information from the FSFM, according to which Mr. Markov has been appointed to his new position for only a week - from September 14 to 21.

Despite the weak predictability of the authorities’ personnel policy, most observers agree that after this coming Friday, Oleg Markov will continue to hold the post of the country’s chief financial intelligence officer. As practice shows, working in the external relations committee of the St. Petersburg mayor's office together with Vladimir Putin is a guaranteed pass to almost any position (the example of Viktor Zubkov himself is the latest confirmation of this).

Oleg Markov appeared on the external relations committee of the St. Petersburg mayor's office immediately after Vladimir Putin, and they are said to have friendly relations. After working at the mayor's office, Mr. Markov went to work at the North-West Customs Department, and since April 2004 he worked as the first deputy head of the presidential protocol.

In other words, the appointment of Oleg Markov as head of Rosfinmonitoring, in contrast to the appointment of Viktor Zubkov as Prime Minister, is not expected. Moreover, it was predicted back in March of this year, when it became known that the candidacy of Viktor Zubkov was approved by the General Council of United Russia for the seat of a member of the Federation Council from the legislative assembly of the Omsk region. Actually, the very arrival of Oleg Markov to the FSFM (he became the fifth deputy head of the service) just a few days after the news of Viktor Zubkov’s transfer to the Federation Council was associated precisely with the prospect of personnel growth for the deputy head of protocol of the head of state.

Meanwhile, acting Russian Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin has already selected his candidacy for the post of head of Rosfinmonitoring. He stated this the day after the resignation of the government and the nomination of Viktor Zubkov to the post of prime minister by the president. Maybe the candidate for minister is Oleg Markov, but maybe not. Mr. Kudrin refused to specify the name of the chosen one, citing the fact that another person could take the post of Finance Minister in Mr. Zubkov’s government. And then Mr. Kudrin’s proposals will no longer be appropriate.

Mikhail VOROBYEV