Indian-origin UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on Thursday said that, as an elected representative, he should not be questioned about his wife’s business interests vis-à-vis Russia as he is only responsible for his actions required to isolate Moscow economically.
Chancellor Sunak was asked on a news channel if his policies to isolate Moscow was being heeded to at home as his wife, Akshata Murty, has a stake in tech-firm Infosys which has a small team of employees based out of Russia as well as is “connected” to the now-sanctioned Alpha Bank.
“I am an elected politician and I am here to talk about what I am responsible for. My wife is not,” Sunak replied.
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He was also asked if his family is benefitting from the current Putin-regime.
“I don't think that's the case, and as I said the operations of all companies are up to them (owners and promoters of Infosys),” Sunak replied.
Sunak asserted that the UK has put significant sanctions on Russian companies and banks in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
When asked if Infosys was sending a similar message, Sunak replied that he has no idea because he has nothing to do with the company.
The West has put up a united front against Russia for invading Ukraine. The G7 countries (a political alliance consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) had earlier announced a new set of economic sanctions on Russia as Moscow was stripped of the “most-favoured nation” (MFN) trade status.
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This ban on goods includes the iron and steel sector as well as high-end luxury goods such as watches, vehicles, clothes, alcohol and jewelry.
The UK has also imposed strict sanctions on 386 members of Duma, the Russian Parliament.
These members were those who had voted to recognise the independence of two breakaway “Independent People’s Republic” of Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas region.
