UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak Denies Links With Russia

LONDON: Rishi Sunak has denied any connection with a multinational firm part-owned by his wife that has continued to operate in Russia during the war in Ukraine, BBC reported.

The UK Chancellor said he had "nothing to do" with Infosys, in which his wife Akshata Murthy holds shares. He has also urged UK firms to pull out of Russia to inflict "economic pain" on President Vladimir Putin. Sunak's spokesperson said Murthy had no role in Infosys's operational decisions.

Pressed on Infosys' presence in Russia, Sunak told Sky News on Thursday: "I'm an elected politician, and I'm here to talk to you about what I'm responsible for. My wife is not." He added that companies' operations were "up to them".

"We've put in place significant sanctions and all the companies we're responsible for are following those, as they rightly should," said the Chancellor.

The software giant was co-founded by Murthy's father Narayana Murthy, who retired from the company in 2014, BBC reported.

Founded in 1981, the firm has since expanded into a number of countries and operates an office in Moscow.

The most recent annual report lists Akshata Murthy as holding 0.9 per cent of the company's shares — reportedly worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Earlier this month, Sunak had said the government would "fully support" UK firms that pull out of Russia voluntarily.

After meeting a group of leading British companies, the Chancellor said he welcomed the "consensus on the need to inflict maximum economic pain on Putin and his regime".

"While I recognise that it may be challenging to wind down existing investments, I believe there is no argument for new investment in the Russian economy," he added. (IANS)

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