The tech giant, in which the Chancellor’s wife Akshata Murty owns a 0.91% stake reportedly worth £690 million, is shutting its office in Russia after facing criticism for still operating in the country five weeks after Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine
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A multi-million-pound tech firm founded by Rishi Sunak’s billionaire father-in-law is shutting down its Russian office, it has emerged.
The Chancellor’s wife Akshata Murty owns a 0.91% stake in tech giant Infosys reportedly worth £690 million.
Infosys, which employs thousands of staff in the UK and is said to have held contracts with government ministries and public bodies, has faced harsh criticism for continuing to operate in Russia five weeks after President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine.
Tonight the BBC reports the Indian IT company is now trying to find replacement roles abroad for staff employed in Moscow.
Mr Sunak has previously rejected allegations his family has been “benefiting from Vladimir Putin’s regime” when pressed about his wife’s stake in Infosys.
He told Sky News he had “nothing to do with that company” and said he had “absolutely no idea” whether Infosys was following the “significant actions” put in place in response to the invasion.
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Earlier, Keir Starmer demanded to know whether Mr Sunak’s family was benefiting from cash made in Russia.
The Labour leader said: “As the Chancellor’s wife is concerned, there’s just a fundamental principle, is their household benefiting from money made in Russia when the Government has put in place sanctions?
“That is in the public interest for us to have an answer to – I’m not attacking their family but I do want to know if the Chancellor’s household is benefiting from money from a company that’s investing in Russia when the Government is saying quite rightly that nobody should be doing that.”
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Earlier this week, Mr Sunak angrily hit out at his wife and her family being thrust into the spotlight.
“I think it’s totally fine for people to take shots at me, it’s fair game – I’m the one sitting here and that’s what I signed up for,” he told BBC Newscast.
“It’s very upsetting and wrong for people to try and come at my wife and beyond that actually, with regard to my father-in-law, for whom I have nothing but enormous pride and admiration for everything that he’s achieved.
“No amount of attempted smearing is going to make me change that because he’s wonderful and has achieved a huge amount.
“As I said, I’m enormously proud.”
The Chancellor has previously urged business owners to “think very carefully about any investments that would in any sense support Putin and his regime” as fighting continues across Ukraine.
Labour ‘s deputy leader Angela Rayner has said Mr Sunak’s ties to Infosys amount to a “conflict of interest,” and has demanded Mr Sunak declare his wife’s shareholdings “in the usual way” on the Register of Members’ Interests.
She told the Mirror: “One minute he is telling British companies to think carefully about investments that in any sense support Putin and his regime – the next we hear his family are making millions from a company operating out of the Russian capital.
“This company, founded by Sunak’s father-in-law, has been handed millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money in contracts.
” Rishi Sunak must come clean about whether he is personally benefiting from business in Russia and whether he has declared this conflict of interest to the Permanent Secretary or if he’s been profiting in secret.”
Despite allegations of “hypocrisy”, Mr Sunak has insisted he has “followed the ministerial code to the letter” and has previously denied benefitting from doing business in Russia.
A spokesperson for the Chancellor told the Mirror Ms Murthy is a “minority shareholder” in the firm, adding: “Neither her nor any member of her family have any involvement in the operational decisions of the company.”
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