The US Department of Justice, under the leadership of the Donald Trump administration, has decided to terminate an initiative aimed at fighting Russian oligarchs, which was launched after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the terrorist state. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi's directive, which came into effect on her first day in office, calls for the termination of the KleptoCapture Task Force, a special group that was tasked with tracking the assets of Russian businessmen linked to the Kremlin. The main emphasis, according to the new strategy, will now be placed on the fight against drug cartels and international criminal groups. It is stated that funding and human resources will be reoriented to these tasks.
The KleptoCapture Task Force was created during the presidency of Joe Biden as part of a large-scale effort to put economic pressure on Russian oligarchs and state structures. The goal was to limit their financial capabilities and punish them for evading sanctions. As part of this initiative, charges were brought against several influential Russian businessmen, including Oleg Deripaska and Konstantin Malofeev. Luxury yachts belonging to the sanctioned individuals were also confiscated.
Despite the termination of the task force, investigations into the cases already opened are likely to continue, but will no longer be coordinated at the central level of the Ministry of Justice. These changes are expected to slow down the pace of new charges and make it more difficult to identify intermediaries who help Russian businessmen circumvent restrictions.