Sunak's wife business dealings with Russia

Nobody had to Google it all the details of the company have been ripped apart by the Daily Mail for days now.

I don't read the Daily Mail.

??

Infosys further clarified that it has a small team of 100 employees in Russia who cater to global clients based there.

Just wondering what the implications of this are. Anyone able to enlighten me?

www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/companies/infosys-issues-clarification-russia-operations-after-media-links-murthy-son-in-law-rishi-sunak-to-moscow-article-90453595

If my spouse was benefitting in this way I know I would have a lot to say on the matter. And I would want to be sure they were doing something positive with the bonuses if they were not prepared to disinvest.
In our home we know about each others finances and both have opinions so wd talk about most things and often come to plan our lives jointly. I see this as teamwork and it works for us.

baggs it has been standard practice for a while for people in public life to declare any ' interests' including those of close family..E.g if as a school governor I recommend x firm to do some work or to be contrated to provide a service to the school but do not mention the company is run by a family member then that is not open & honest. I would have to abstain from that decision making process. Same with Sunak..if there is a vote in the HoP about businesses linked to Russia... are we sure he will vote as a disinterested person?

You can argue till you're blue in the face about feminism/spouse's responsibilites/declaration of interest but the fact is that the wife of the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made 12 million pounds from a company that trades in Russia while Russia is slaughtering the people of Ukraine and when the people in this country face the greatest financial crisis in years. For most people this stinks to high heaven.

No-one is expecting Sunak to have charge of his wife's dealings; but it is reasonable to expect that he should declare this as a close relative involved in breaching government sanctions.

I am a school governor and have to make declarations of interest. If a close relative wanted to bid for a school contract I would have to declare my interest. If that same person was found to be behaving improperly and this was under investigation, then I would have to absent myself.

The sex of the person is irrelevant - the close relationship is not.

dolphindaisy

You can argue till you're blue in the face about feminism/spouse's responsibilites/declaration of interest but the fact is that the wife of the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made 12 million pounds from a company that trades in Russia while Russia is slaughtering the people of Ukraine and when the people in this country face the greatest financial crisis in years. For most people this stinks to high heaven.

this

Holding such a high status Public Office should automatically mean disclosure of anything which could be seen as a conflict of interest.

His wife isn’t breaching government sanctions Lucky. It’s an Indian company in which she has a minority interest and India still trades with Russia.

Also nobody is suggesting Sunak's wife should not be an independent business woman any more than Patel's husband should not ŕun a company just that both should have to declare it before any debate/ vote that might harmof benefit those businesses. The speaker would then decide if they should abstain from voting. (I know that is not the rules..but I think it should be!)

I think the "feminist" argument is a straw man. I don't think anyone is saying he is "in charge" of his wife's business. It's more a case of him benefiting, as all spouses do, from what their partners do.

I think the questioning also comes from where his conscience sits. If I knowingly marry a thief and accept his view of life as okay, then I must expect the law to look at me too and people to judge my character on that information. If he is knowingly married to someone who receives large amounts from investments in Russia then he has the right to say it does or doesn't sit well with him.

Surely a partner, whatever their sex, must have their individual conscience. Or do the "feminists" who have raised this argument, now feel women have the right to stop a "man" having his separate moral compass?

I have already said that we know nothing of his wife’s post-invasion income, nor whether she is trying to extricate herself from the company in which she has only a very small interest. Shouldn’t we wait until we have post-invasion information rather than judge her on her income last year, which is totally irrelevant to the Ukraine situation?

Germanshepherdsmum

I have already said that we know nothing of his wife’s post-invasion income, nor whether she is trying to extricate herself from the company in which she has only a very small interest. Shouldn’t we wait until we have post-invasion information rather than judge her on her income last year, which is totally irrelevant to the Ukraine situation?

It’s far to easy just to judge someone for being rich though…

Definitely. Shouldn’t be allowed.

The wealth I mean.

I'm not judging anybody for being rich.

This woman seems like quite an admirable person.

www.standard.co.uk/insider/celebrity/mackenzie-scott-success-jeff-bezos-divorce-a4512601.html

But I'll certainly judge people for being two faced.

Germanshepherdsmum

I have already said that we know nothing of his wife’s post-invasion income, nor whether she is trying to extricate herself from the company in which she has only a very small interest. Shouldn’t we wait until we have post-invasion information rather than judge her on her income last year, which is totally irrelevant to the Ukraine situation?

So sit and wait while the next-of-kin & spouse of our chancellor and possible future PM continues to benefit from profit made from a country waging an invasion of a European country? Wait until it's all over. And then cast judgement? After the profit is made and Ukraine has been colonised by Russia?

Hmmm. Not at all corrupt.

How do you know she is currently taking any income from this company? You don’t. Perhaps you’d like to send her to the guillotine pending publication of the current year’s accounts. Unfortunately you won’t be able to reverse the process if you’re proved wrong.

Ah, OK. I'm working but how do you know I'm drawing a salary?

Don't be ridiculous.

Wasn't aware he was being mooted as a possible successor to BJ, but if he is, I would guess that his wife's dealings will have to be made public knowledge whether they want it or not!
I'm afraid he is just like the rest of his party - have absolutely no knowledge or interest about what is really going on below their social circle.

I’m not being ridiculous. She has been paid dividends by the company. She may or may not receive dividends this year. She may choose not to receive them or for them to go to a charity. I repeat you do not know her current position. You just choose to assume the worst with no grounds whatsoever for that assumption. Unless of course you consider being married to a Conservative chancellor and being a rich woman are sufficient grounds for slander.

Responding to MaizieD’s question upthread, In theory, it should be simple for Infosys to explain what exactly they do in Russia. Quotes from the link Maizie gave:

Infosys said it has no direct business relationships with local Russian enterprises in a clarification of the IT services major’s operations in Moscow.

Infosys further clarified that it has a small team of 100 employees in Russia who cater to global clients based there.

No direct business relationships smacks of obfuscation.

The company’s website, a picture of style over substance, isn’t the easiest to find information on.

Infosys are, for example, providers of AI in Croatia and Russia for Ansaldo Energia, a part Italian - part Chinese-owned power engineering corporation. I believe their business is the manufacture of heavy-duty gas turbines. They also have a nuclear subsidiary. Infosys need to be clear on what this power is being used for and whether their AI is helping fuel Putin’s war machine.

Unless of course you consider being married to a Conservative chancellor and being a rich woman are sufficient grounds for slander.

GSM, GG13, however many times you say it, it doesn't make it true that people are concerned about this because Sunak and his wife are rich. I am concerned about it because there are many companies withdrawing from Russia, and the man in one of the four great offices of state in this country says he doesn't know if his wife has an interest in a company that is still trading with Russia, and what's more we're being unfair to ask him about it.

So you can comfort yourself with the deception that we hate rich people, or you can see the truth that we expect integrity from our senior politicians and that's not what we're getting.

volver I live in hope that the U.K. will have truthful politicians, I would also like to see our politicians have integrity which seems pretty low at the moment.