Page:2020-07-29 PSI Staff Report - The Art Industry and U.S. Policies that Undermine Sanctions.pdf/33

 When Boris Rotenberg's ex-wife, Irene Lamber, was asked to comment on the business impact of Putin's friendship with the Rotenberg brothers, she remarked, "[t]hey were friendly in childhood, and those relationships were never broken, so logically you can presume some sort of advice was given, at a minimum, and perhaps help here and there."

Boris Rotenberg holds a Finnish passport and therefore "is not subject to European sanctions over Russia's role in Ukraine." Boris Rotenberg secured Finnish citizenship after moving to the country with his ex-wife Irene in the late 1990s. Although he is not directly subjected to the E.U's sanctions, several Nordic banks refused to process his payments because "European banks must comply with U.S. sanctions in order to do business with American banks." In response, Boris Rotenberg filed a discrimination suit against Nordea, Danske Bank, Handelsbanken, and OP Bank for violation of "his right to equal treatment as an EU citizen." A Finnish court rejected the suit on January 13, 2020.

Forbes estimates that Boris Rotenberg's net worth is $1.2 billion.

e. Roman and Igor Rotenberg are Sanctioned by the United States

On February 12, 2015, the Wall Street Journal reported that Arkady and Boris Rotenberg sold lucrative assets to their children in an apparent effort to avoid sanctions by the United States. The sales included Arkady selling his 79 percent stake in Gazprom Drilling LLC to his son Igor, and Boris's sale of the Finnish