Expert says Vladimir Putin is richest man with $200 billion net worth

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos was declared the richest person in the world last week with a net worth of $90 billion. However, a US financier told senators the title may belong to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Bill Browder, CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, said Mr Putin is richer than both Mr Bezos and Bill Gates combined. “I believe he is worth $200 billion,” he told the US senate panel. Mr Putin’s personal fortune has been a cause for immense speculation. The Kremlin has consistently denied accusations of improper business dealings. 

Earlier this month Mr Putin was caught on cameras telling Mitsubishi officials he owned one of their motorbikes. But he had only disclosed owning three cars and a wagon in his records.