Nevzlin: Putin Administration Whitewashes Him

Leonid Nevzlin, escaped Yukos key shareholder, who lives currently in Israel, has sent an open letter for Putin?s advisor Andrei Illarionov, asking help to stop ?whitewashing Putin?s regime?.

The letter was published by the Kommersant daily newspaper.
The letter has appeared as a sort of a reply to Illarionov?s recent statement in which the advisor said that the re-nationalization of major Russian companies must be stopped. Nevzlin writes that Illarionov?s call caused him to ?laugh bitterly?. He said that the campaign had been started by Kremlin officials who will stop at nothing before they get all the private companies they are interested in.
He gave examples of a buyout of Yukos? major asset Yuganskneftegaz financed by state banks, and the acquisition of Sibneft by state gas firm Gazprom on conditions which were not favorable for the buyer.
?We can only guess who benefited from this deal and what the benefit was,? Nevzlin writes in his letter.

He goes on to say that Putin initiated the privatization campaign and thus it cannot be canceled.

Nevzlin also writes that in his statements Illarionov ?whitewashes? Putin?s reputation which had been blackened to an unrepairable state by Putin?s close entourage and the president himself. He calls for the advisor, whom he calls an honest man, to stop making such statements, MosNews.com reported.