5 Things to Know About Paul Manafort's Russian Billionaire Friend Oleg Deripaska

We know he's close with the Kremlin, but what else?
By Kinsey Grant ,

The name Oleg Deripaska might not ring a bell for most of America quite yet, but it could soon.

That's because President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, offered to give the Russian billionaire, who has close ties to Russia's Vladimir Putin, private briefings on the race for the White House as close as two weeks before Trump accepted the GOP nomination, according to the Washington Post.

There's no evidence Deripaska ever got the messages, but the correspondence was turned over to special counsel Robert S. Mueller as evidence in the ongoing probe into Moscow's possible role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Here are some quick facts to get you better acquainted with Deripaska.

  • He's an aluminum magnate who runs Basic Element, one of the largest industrial firms in Russia. Deripaska worked with Manafort on previous business deals and is one of Russia's richest men with a net worth of about $6.6 billion. Many have suggested Deripaska's business with Manafort was an attempt to influence global politics for the Russian state.
  • A U.S. diplomatic cable released in 2006 by WikiLeaks called Deripaska "among the 2-3 oligarchs Putin turns to on a regular basis." Deripaska was widely reported as one of Putin's close allies in organizing the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics -- Deripaska's company invested $450 million renovating Sochi's airport ahead of the games, spent $187.5 million on a Sochi cargo port and even opened a shelter for the stray dogs in the city.
  • He has trouble traveling to the U.S. because officials have expressed concerns he might have ties to organized crime in Russia, according to The Wall Street Journal. He's also been accused of bribing Siberian government officials to win business deals.
  • Deripaska and Manafort have a complicated relationship. They've both acknowledged working together before, with Manafort paid by Deripaska for his investment consulting. But court documents from 2014 show Deripaska accused Manafort of taking close to $19 million for investment and failing to account for or return the money.
  • Deripaska was the richest person in Russia and the ninth-wealthiest in the world in 2008, but he lost a great deal of his fortune in the ensuing global financial crisis. The magnate personally restructured his debt with the Russian government, banks and other creditors to avoid complete ruin, Forbes reported. He's one of about five dozen Russian tycoons who have gotten richer since Trump was elected - his gains were to the tune of $1.6 billion.

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