Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has criticized Russia's super-rich for their ostentatious spending habits, and urged them to use their wealth to benefit their country.
During his annual TV and radio phone-in, the premier was asked about a recent scandal involving the son of a Russian billionaire in Switzerland. The 22-year-old was arrested in Geneva after crashing a Lamborghini into a pensioner's car, severely injuring him, while drunkenly racing with friends.
"In Soviet times, people in certain levels of society demonstrated their wealth by having artificial gold teeth. Lamborghinis and other luxury items are like gold teeth," Putin said.
The crash late last month has sparked a media frenzy in Switzerland and Russia. Along with the driver, Ziya Babayev, three other Russians were arrested in the incident, two of them sons of tycoon Telman Ismailov.
Answering a question about Ismailov, who was able to open a sprawling luxury hotel on Turkey's Mediterranean coast this summer despite the credit crunch in Russia, Putin said investing abroad is not a crime, but businessmen should invest domestically.
"If there are resources to invest, they would better be invested in Russia. They could be invested in the construction of hotels in Sochi ahead of the 2014 Olympics, for example," he said.
Azerbaijani-born Ismailov was previously an owner of the Cherkizovsky wholesale market in Moscow, which was shut down in September after raids targeting contraband goods from China.
Asked about the possible involvement of Ismailov's brother, a Moscow district official, in the market scandal, Putin said any suspicions must be proved in the courts, but pledged more measures to fight corruption.
The premier was earlier reported to have criticized authorities for failing to make arrests after the Cherkizovsky raid.
MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti)
