The Moscow Times: Putin Targets Corruption at Gazprom

Signaling the start of a long-awaited overhaul at Gazprom, President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday called for corruption to be eliminated at the state-controlled gas giant and said its business model should be improved.

Gazprom has been criticized for years by minority investors who believe their lucrative shares could provide even bigger dividends through the elimination of inefficiencies and corruption at the company.

The president also said other energy companies should be allowed to transport gas through the network of export pipelines now monopolized by Gazprom.

"We hear claims more and more frequently about how the company's business is developing and how there's corruption there. There probably is," Putin said at VTB Capital's annual conference in Moscow.  MORE