President Dmitry Medvedev's wife owns a 10-year-old Volkswagen Golf and has savings totaling 135,144 rubles ($4,045), the Kremlin revealed Monday as part of Medvedev's anti-corruption campaign.
In a statement on the Kremlin web site Monday, Medvedev disclosed that he earned 4,139, 726 rubles ($123,906) last year, making him one of the more modestly paid world leaders. The U.S. president earns a $400,000 annual salary.
Medvedev also declared savings of 2,818,780 rubles ($84,369) in nine Russian bank accounts and said he rents a country home on a 4,700 square meter plot of land.
The revelation follows a presidential decree last month ordering bureaucrats — beginning next year ?€” to declare not only their income and assets but also those of their spouses and underage children.
The move is ostensibly aimed at cracking down on civil servants who hide suspiciously large personal fortunes by signing them over to spouses.
Medvedev said last month that although the new law does not come into effect until next year, he would begin this year and release his declaration to the public.
"I, at least, will do it this year. I hope other civil servants will follow my example. I will give them a hint," Medvedev told Channel One television.
In an apparent nod to Medvedev's transparency campaign, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday also published details of his 2008 declaration on his web site.
Putin, who according to the declaration earned 4,622,400 rubles ($138,353) last year, was not as thorough as Medvedev, however, in publicizing his finances: He did not include the amount of savings in his bank accounts.
In 2007, Putin declared earnings of 2,011,611 rubles ($60,000) and savings in Russian bank accounts totaling 3,700,299 rubles ($111,000), according to the Central Elections Commission. In 2004, those figures were 7,799,637 rubles ($233,000) and 3,816,438 rubles ($114,000), respectively.
Putin this year declared a 77-square-meter apartment, one garage and one parking space. His wife Lyudmila earned no money in 2008, according to the declaration, which does mention their two daughters, who are students.
Svetlana Medvedeva is known for her taste for Russian fashion designers and was once photographed wearing a Breguet Reine de Naples watch that sells for more than $20,000. She has not worked since 1995, according to her biography on the Kremlin web site.
The declaration lists the first lady's only property as a 367-square-meter apartment she co-owns with her husband. Although she only owns one car, the statement says she owns two parking spaces.
The Kremlin even revealed the finances of the Medvedevs' son, Ilya, who was born in 1995. He owns no property and has no savings, it said.
Svetlana Medvedeva's 10-year-old Volkswagen Golf is decades newer than the cars owned by Putin, who declared two Volgas that were produced in 1960 and 1965, respectively, and a trailer that was produced in 1987.
Putin's declaration did not mention his latest purchase, a Niva car, which he discussed during a visit to the AvtoVAZ plant in Tolyatti last month. He also omits a Zaporozhets car, which is on display in a Moscow museum.
The modest figures don't seem to be consistent with the luxury brands worn by Medvedev and Putin.
Russian journalists have spotted Medvedev wearing a Breguet watch and Putin wearing Breguet and Patek Philippe watches. The watches sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
In January 2008, the Central Elections Commission published information on Medvedev's finances as a required disclosure for his presidential candidacy.
Back then, his eight bank accounts contained 2,740 006 rubles ($82,000).
According to official income declarations, the presidency does not appear to have been too profitable for Medvedev, who has managed to add just 78,774 rubles ($2,357) to his savings since last year.
His wife's financial situation, however, has improved substantially.
When Medvedev entered the presidential race last year, his declaration stated that Svetlana had one bank account containing 380 rubles ($11).
In a statement on the Kremlin web site Monday, Medvedev disclosed that he earned 4,139, 726 rubles ($123,906) last year, making him one of the more modestly paid world leaders. The U.S. president earns a $400,000 annual salary.
Medvedev also declared savings of 2,818,780 rubles ($84,369) in nine Russian bank accounts and said he rents a country home on a 4,700 square meter plot of land.
The revelation follows a presidential decree last month ordering bureaucrats — beginning next year ?€” to declare not only their income and assets but also those of their spouses and underage children.
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Medvedev said last month that although the new law does not come into effect until next year, he would begin this year and release his declaration to the public.
"I, at least, will do it this year. I hope other civil servants will follow my example. I will give them a hint," Medvedev told Channel One television.
In an apparent nod to Medvedev's transparency campaign, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday also published details of his 2008 declaration on his web site.
Putin, who according to the declaration earned 4,622,400 rubles ($138,353) last year, was not as thorough as Medvedev, however, in publicizing his finances: He did not include the amount of savings in his bank accounts.
In 2007, Putin declared earnings of 2,011,611 rubles ($60,000) and savings in Russian bank accounts totaling 3,700,299 rubles ($111,000), according to the Central Elections Commission. In 2004, those figures were 7,799,637 rubles ($233,000) and 3,816,438 rubles ($114,000), respectively.
Putin this year declared a 77-square-meter apartment, one garage and one parking space. His wife Lyudmila earned no money in 2008, according to the declaration, which does mention their two daughters, who are students.
Svetlana Medvedeva is known for her taste for Russian fashion designers and was once photographed wearing a Breguet Reine de Naples watch that sells for more than $20,000. She has not worked since 1995, according to her biography on the Kremlin web site.
The declaration lists the first lady's only property as a 367-square-meter apartment she co-owns with her husband. Although she only owns one car, the statement says she owns two parking spaces.
The Kremlin even revealed the finances of the Medvedevs' son, Ilya, who was born in 1995. He owns no property and has no savings, it said.
Svetlana Medvedeva's 10-year-old Volkswagen Golf is decades newer than the cars owned by Putin, who declared two Volgas that were produced in 1960 and 1965, respectively, and a trailer that was produced in 1987.
Putin's declaration did not mention his latest purchase, a Niva car, which he discussed during a visit to the AvtoVAZ plant in Tolyatti last month. He also omits a Zaporozhets car, which is on display in a Moscow museum.
The modest figures don't seem to be consistent with the luxury brands worn by Medvedev and Putin.
Russian journalists have spotted Medvedev wearing a Breguet watch and Putin wearing Breguet and Patek Philippe watches. The watches sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
In January 2008, the Central Elections Commission published information on Medvedev's finances as a required disclosure for his presidential candidacy.
Back then, his eight bank accounts contained 2,740 006 rubles ($82,000).
According to official income declarations, the presidency does not appear to have been too profitable for Medvedev, who has managed to add just 78,774 rubles ($2,357) to his savings since last year.
His wife's financial situation, however, has improved substantially.
When Medvedev entered the presidential race last year, his declaration stated that Svetlana had one bank account containing 380 rubles ($11).