Investment Banker: Vladimir Putin Has Stolen $200B, Is World's Richest Man

Via Business Insider:

Hedge fund manager Bill Browder, once the largest foreign investor in Russia, estimates Russian President Vladimir Putin's wealth at $200 billion — which would make him by far the richest man in the world. When asked to estimate his net worth by Fareed Zakaria of CNN, Browder said: "I believe that it is $200 billion. "After 14 years in power of Russia, and the amount of money that the country has made, and the amount of money that hasn't been spent on schools and roads and hospitals and so on — all that money is in property, Swiss bank accounts, shares, [and] hedge funds managed for Putin and his cronies." Bill Gates is considered the world's richest man with a net worth of $79 billion.

Browder claims Putin's stealing began the moment he became prime minister in 1999.