>>>>As I responded to Jim, Putin is one of the wealthiest people on the planet, with an estimated net worth of $40 billion.
>>>
>>>You said 'rumoured' yourself :)
>>>I believe comes from those who wld have done so given such position <g>
>>>Ever wandered whose taxes paid for that rumour being spread ?
>>
>>He is one of the wealthiest. The rumor is about the exact number. The golden rule stands "He who has the gold makes the rules."
>
>I do not have doubt he is very well of, but who ever predicted 40b must hv had view obstructed by at least two big bushes. and bundles of other weeds <g>
>
>QUOTE
>------
>Western news media last year quoted a Moscow-based political analyst, Stanislav Belkovsky, as saying Mr Putin owned big stakes in Russian oil firms that had made him extremely wealthy.
>
>Mr Belkovsky said his information came from Kremlin sources but did not produce documentary evidence.
>
>Looking relaxed during the marathon question-and-answer session, Mr Putin chuckled when asked if he was the richest man in Europe and what the source of his fortune had been.
>
>"As for various rumours about my personal wealth ... that is empty talk which shouldn't even be discussed," he said.
>
>"I've seen some papers...That is just rubbish, just excavated from someone's nose and then spread on those bits of paper".

I acknowledged that the amount is a rumor. The fact that he is extremely wealthy is not in dispute. The fact that Putin denies his wealth does not provide anything useful. Actively displaying your BDS does not provide anything useful. The original question was to name a country where the wealthy do not make the rules. Russia is not one, if you care to try again please feel free.