10 Jan 2018 19:33

Putin's campaign staff obtains 400,200,000 rubles - authorized representative for financial issues

MOSCOW. Jan 10 (Interfax) - Around 400,200,000 rubles has been transferred to the campaign staff of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who intends to run for presidency in March of this year, his authorized representative for financial issues Natalya Orlova said.

These funds comprise payments both from individuals and legal entities, Orlova told reporters on Wednesday evening.

On the first day around 50 payments have been channeled to the Fund from individuals and legal entities, and 100 payments only from individuals on Wednesday, she said.

"The sum includes around 400,200,000 rubles for today. We are unloading [money transfers] several times a day, and we see new ones each time. The payments from individuals are quite different, beginning from ten rubles to 30,000, 50,000 rubles," Orlova said.

Around 25 payments have been forwarded from legal entities, she also said. "There are no remarkable persons [among individuals], unfortunately or fortunately. There are no prominent names, which I could emphasize, it is for sure," she said.

The Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) is providing information about the payments, which exceed 20,000 rubles, the authorized representative for financial issues said. "According to my estimates, the CEC will issue the next information on Monday," Orlova said.

The account for donations was opened on December 28 and since then payments began to be transferred.

Orlova said that she has already served as Putin's authorized representative for financial issues in 2012 and the one for presidential candidate Dmitry Medvedev in 2008.

The main portion of the Fund's spending is media issues, and the funds are now being spent on the support to regional campaign staffs and self-nomination, she said.

The rental fee for Gostiny Dvor, which houses Putin's campaign staff, amounts to six million rubles, she also said. "But we will pay it [the rental fee] every month plus utility payments, this will be done with respect to three or four payments," she said.