Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov used his first appearance on a comedy show to make fun of Greece’s budget woes, saying the country’s rich history makes it an attractive acquisition target.
“I suggest we buy Greece,” Prokhorov said on the "Projector Paris Hilton" television show on March 13. Acquiring Greece, home of the Olympic games, would be a marketing opportunity for Gazprom, which could use the Olympic flame as its trademark, he said.
“We could sell our gas to every home together with an Olympic torch,” Prokhorov said. “I suggest we start with Ukraine.” Prokhorov is head of the Russian Biathlon Union, which accounted for two of Russia’s three gold medals at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Prokhorov is Russia’s second-richest man, with a fortune of $17.9 billion, according to Finans magazine. That’s about two-thirds of the amount that Greece’s government needs to cover bonds and notes maturing in April and May.
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