Donald Trump aide invested in firm linked to Vladimir Putin's son-in-law

New York: Newly leaked documents show that US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, the Trump administration’s point man on trade and manufacturing policy, has a stake in a company that does business with a gas producer partly owned by the son-in-law of Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to records obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Mr Ross is an investor in Navigator Holdings, a shipping giant that counts Russian gas and petrochemical producer Sibur among its major customers. Mr Putin’s son-in-law Kirill Shamalov once owned more than 20 per cent of the company, but now holds a much smaller stake.

The New York Times reported that Mr Ross’ stake in Navigator has been held by companies in the Cayman Islands. His wealth, estimated to exceed $2 billion, is said to be tied to similar arrangements in various tax havens. Commerce Department spokesman James Rockas said Mr Ross “never met” Mr Shamalov. Mr Ross, meanwhile, has denied any wrongdoing. “The company that is our client itself, Sibur, was not then sanctioned, is not now sanctioned, and never was sanctioned in between,” Mr Ross said.