Trump administration disbands task force against Russian oligarchs | Trump administration
The U.S. Department of Justice under Donald Trump is dismantling Russia's efforts to invade Ukraine in 2022 to impose sanctions and target oligarchs near the Kremlin.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s memo was issued during the wave of orders on her first day of office, but has not been reported before. Drug cartels and international gangs.
“This policy requires fundamental changes in mindset and approaches,” Bondy wrote in a directive on Wednesday, adding that resources now dedicated to enforcing sanctions and seizing oligarchs will be redirected to anti-cartels.
The work, initiated during the Joe Biden administration, aims to integrate the financial situation of Vladimir Putin's wealthy colleagues and punish those who promote sanctions and export control violations.
Amid international condemnation of the Ukrainian war, it is part of a broader effort to freeze Russia out of its global market.
The task force filed a lawsuit against aluminum giant Oleg Deripaska and TV tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev, allegedly for sanctions and occupied yachts belonging to approved oligarchs Suleiman Keriman Kerimov and Viktor Vektor Vektor Vekselberg.
It also pleaded guilty to a U.S. attorney who paid $3.8 million to defend the property owned by Vekselberg.
The prosecutor assigned to the working group will return to their previous posts. The directive says the changes will take effect for at least 90 days and may be renewed or permanent.
Trump talked about improving relations with Moscow. He had previously vowed to end the Ukrainian war, although he had not released detailed plans yet.
The emphasis on drug cartels was part of the crackdown on illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking after Trump designated many terrorist groups such as terrorist groups.
The shift also hints at the enforcement of the U.S. Foreign Bribery Act, which led to the largest corporate case in the Justice Department in the past decade. Units enforcing the law (FCPA) laws will now prioritize bribery investigations related to cartels, according to the memorandum.
Many multinational companies have been under scrutiny of the law at the Justice Department, including Goldman Sachs, Glencore and Wal-Mart. Those large company resolutions usually do not involve cartels.
“This is a narrow subset of cases from traditional FCPA cases and crime-related violence cases and a narrow part of cases related to violent crime,” said Stephen Frank, an attorney for law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, who served as federal prosecutor.