WaPo Quotes Jonathan Poling on Risks in US Seizures of Russian Oligarchs’ Assets
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For its article “US works to 'seize and freeze' wealth of Russian oligarchs,” The Washington Post quoted Akin Gump international trade partner Jonathan Poling.
The article discusses how the U.S. Treasury Secretary and Attorney General convened a multilateral task force to enforce sanctions and investigate and prosecute oligarchs and individuals allied with Vladimir Putin. The Post notes that the challenges facing the effort include the risk of penalizing innocent people whose property is tied up in oligarchs’ seized assets.
In this regard, Poling, a former federal prosecutor, noted that the complicated financial instruments in which oligarchs invest will inevitably involve ordinary people in seizure actions. He said that the concern is how do governments impose these sanctions “in a way that doesn’t punish innocent people.”
