Russian bankers suspected of theft or embezzlement could lose the right to travel abroad, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to look into potential travel restrictions which were proposed by the head of Russia's Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina.
Nabiullina claimed that the downfall of banks is often caused by criminal acts rather than economic instability.
“There are occasions when they [bankers] steal. Some have taken money from the people of Russia and we can't trace it, as it's all 'off the books,''' she said
Nabiullina said
that while many criminals flee abroad, “only
in Russia can we be sure that they will be punished.”
Putin agreed that “it
would be better not to let them [bankers] go,” Interfax reported.
Bankers would not be the only Russians to face travel bans. Under Russian legislation, anyone with more than 10,000 rubles ($156) in unpaid bank charges, alimony, community service payments, fines or taxes is barred from leaving the country if a creditor makes a claim in court.
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