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Press Release

Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs Task Force Ministerial Joint Statement

For Immediate Release
Office of Public Affairs

Following the launch meeting of the Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) Task Force, the members from participating countries released the following joint statement:

“We, the undersigned Finance, Justice, Home Affairs, and Trade Ministers and European Commissioners, jointly commit to prioritizing our resources and working together to take all available legal steps to find, restrain, freeze, seize, and, where appropriate, confiscate or forfeit the assets of those individuals and entities that have been sanctioned in connection with Russia’s premeditated, unjust, and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the continuing aggression of the Russian regime. 

“Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine represents a further assault on the fundamental norms and laws, including the UN charter, that underpin the international order. By working together to hunt down the assets of key Russian elites and proxies and to act against their enablers and facilitators, we take a further step to isolate them from the international financial system and impose consequences for their actions, and we encourage other countries to also take up this critical effort.

“The Task Force that we have launched today demonstrates our unwavering support for Ukraine and our collective resolve and joint commitment to holding accountable those who have complicity in Russia’s unjust war. We are determined to deny them the ability to hide and benefit from their assets in all jurisdictions, and to undermine the integrity of the international financial system.”

  • Dan Tehan MP, Minister for Trade Tourism and Investment, Australia
  • Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Canada
  • Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, European Commission
  • Mairead McGuinness, Commissioner for financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union, European Commission
  • Bruno Le Maire, Minister for Economy, Finance and Recovery, France
  • Eric Dupond-Moretti, Minister of Justice, France
  • Christian Lindner, Federal Minister of Finance, Germany
  • Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Germany
  • Marta Cartabia, Minister of Justice, Italy
  • Daniele Franco, Minister of Economy and Finance, Italy
  • Ninoyu Satoshi, Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission, Japan
  • Furukawa Yoshihisa, Minister of Justice, Japan
  • Suzuki Shunichi, Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Financial Services, Japan
  • Priti Patel MP, Secretary of State for the Home Department, United Kingdom
  • Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, United Kingdom
  • Janet L. Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury, United States
  • Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General, United States
Updated March 17, 2022

Topics
Asset Forfeiture
Financial Fraud
Foreign Corruption
Press Release Number: 22-256