Budberg leaves VTB

Alexander Budberg leaves the post of adviser to the president of VTB Bank, Izvestia reports. Budberg supervised the bank's PR service. According to Budberg, now he is on vacation, formal dismissal will take place in April.

“When I came to the bank, I agreed that the entire project of the reorganization of the press service would last no more than four years. It turned out for three years and four months, from my point of view, the project is over,” Budberg said. He noted that in the future he does not plan to engage in political or PR activity.

Budberg previously worked as a political observer of the Moscow Komsomolets. Like his wife, press secretary of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev Natalya Timakova, Budberg entered the Kremlin pool of journalists. Then he organized his own PR agency Omnes Imperium.

In September last year, VTB accused the Foundation for the fight against corruption Alexei Navalny and the Center for the Research of Russia of the Society of Henry Jackson of the spread of false information. The report of the VTB activities contains “false, tendentious and unreasonable accusations,” the bank’s press release said.

The report claimed that VTB, 75.5 percent belonging to the state, always "acts in the interests of President Vladimir Putin."

According to the compilers of the report, the top management of the bank hides the details of dubious transactions from the credit committee. The document also criticized the actions of the VTB management in the process of transition of the Moscow Bank under its control.

The report also spoke of the "Case of drilling plants" "VTB-Linging". According to Navalny, the drilling rigs located between Orenburg and the New Urengoy were deliberately acquired at an inflated price, which led to the theft of $ 152 million. After that, according to Navalny, expensive equipment turned out to be abandoned. VTB in response to accusations conducted a tour for journalists and shareholders of the bank in disputed drilling rigs. Navalny could not take part in the event, as it is under the subscription about the lower room.