Igor Sechin

Igor Ivanovich Sechin (Russian: Игорь Иванович Сечин, born September 71960, Leningrad, Soviet Union) is a Russian politician and businessman, who is considered a close ally of Vladimir Putin.

Igor Sechin graduated from Leningrad State University in 1984 as a linguist fluent in Portuguese and French languages. In the 1980s Igor Sechin worked in Mozambique and in Angola, officially as an interpreter with Soviet trade and diplomatic missions there. According to a number of allegations he was a KGB resident in these African countries. [http://lenta.ru/lib/14160890/full.htm] According to Stratfor, Sechin was "the USSR’s point man for weapons smuggling to much of Latin America and the Middle East." [ [http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20080915_russian_resurgence_and_new_old_front The Russian Resurgence and the New-Old Front] Stratfor 15 September 2008.]

In 1991-1996 he worked with St. Petersburg Mayor's Office, since 1994 as a Chief of Staff of the First Deputy Mayor, Vladimir Putin. In 1996-1997 he was a Deputy of Putin, who worked in the Presidential Property Management Department.

In 1997-1998 Sechin was the chief of the General Department of the Main Control Directorate attached to the President, led by Putin. In August 1999 he was appointed Head of the Secretariate of the Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin. In November 241999, - January 112000, Sechin was the First Deputy Chief of the Russian presidential administration.

Between December 311999 and May 2008 he was Deputy Chief of Putin's administration.

In May 2008 he was appointed by President Dmitry Medvedev First Deputy Prime-Minister in a move seen by analysts as demotion. [ [http://www.moscowtimes.ru/article/1010/42/362744.htm A Lineup Aimed at Taming Siloviki] The Sunday Times May 15 2008.]

Since July 272004 he has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC Rosneft, which swallowed up the assets of jailed tycoon Khodorkovsky's Yukos. Khodorkovsky has accused Igor Sechin of plotting to have him arrested and plundering his oil company: "The second as well as the first case were organised by Igor Sechin. He orchestrated the first case against me out of greed and the second out of cowardice." [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3953694.ece Jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky ‘framed’ by key Putin aide] The Sunday Times May 18, 2008.] Igor Sechin is married. Since 2003 his daughter Inga has been married to Dmitry Ustinov, son of Vladimir Ustinov. Inga and Dmitry have a son (b. 2005).

References and notes

External links

* [http://www.anticompromat.ru/sechin/index.html Biography] (in Russian)
* [http://lenta.ru/lib/14160890/full.htm Biography] , Lenta.ru (in Russian).