Can there ever be a wrong time to be a billionaire? Yes, if you are a sea-faring Russian oligarch, now is as bad a time as any! The US government is going all out to tighten its grasp around stolen assets held by Russian oligarchs — and for a very neat price too! The Treasury Department is handling the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program that will lead the restraint, seizure, forfeiture, or repatriation of stolen assets in an account at a US financial institution, that enters the US, or that come into the possession or control of a US person. Sounds too good to believe, but up to $5 million is up for grabs against information about Russian elites’ yachts, mansions, private jets, and other property.
Whistle-blowers get to work as no one has ever needed you before this, nor will anyone pay you millions for your work hereafter. Ross Delston, an independent attorney and expert on anti-money laundering compliance, shared, “The language here is very broad,” Delston said. “It could include a wide range of assets.” the reward eligibility depends on a case-by-case basis. It could get you more than $5 million if you are an expert at extracting information, or it could be lower. But a reward there certainly is! “Making the determination on a ‘case-by-case basis’ is a language that the government uses whenever they don’t want to be nailed down,” Delston shared with Vice.
“It allows total discretion, basically.” Tattling on a Russian oligarch even in exchange for pots of cash is a risky business. Delston threw light on the same, “That’s a serious problem. To motivate people to engage in an act that could subject themselves to civil liability, or even criminal liability if they later visit the wrong country, there need to be real incentives, and the incentives should be provided in a transparent and immediate way. They can’t be awarded after years of study, and after the case has been brought.” It’s time you put your flaws to good use and made some money as you snitch away!
