UK’s Indian-origin Finance minister Rishi Sunak quizzed over wife’s Russia link

United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on Thursday was put to questions over the Russian presence of Infosys, the major Indian software firm in which his wife has a share.

In the context of harsh sanctions being imposed on Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine, Rishi Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, was questioned by a Sky News reporter whether his advice to businesses was not being followed in his own home.

"It's been reported that you've got family links to Russia, that your wife apparently has a stake in the Indian consultancy firm Infosys.” the reporter asked Sunak. “They operate in Moscow, they have an office there, they have a delivery office there. They've got a connection to the Alpha Bank in Moscow.”

“Are you giving advice to others that you're not following in your own home?” questioned the news reporter.

Rishi Sunak merely responded by saying that as an elected politician, he was giving an interview about things he is responsible for. “My wife is not.”

When questioned if his family was potentially benefiting from Russia’s President Vladimir Putin's government, he said, “I don't think that's the case.”

“We've put in place significant sanctions and all the companies we are responsible for are following those as they rightly should, sending a very strong message to Putin's aggression,” said the UK minister.

A statement issued Infosys read they "support and advocate for peace" between Russia and Ukraine. It said that Infosys has a small team of employees in Russia that services some global clients locally. They added that they don’t have any operative business relationships with Russian enterprises.

"A key priority for Infosys in times of adversity, is to continue extending support to the community. The company has committed USD 1 million towards relief efforts for the victims of war in Ukraine," read the statement.

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