Infosys’ decision to close its Moscow office comes as pressure mounts on Sunak to respond to allegations that his family is raising “blood money” dividends from the company’s continued operation in Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine. A source at Infosys told the Guardian that the company was “in the process of closing down its Russian business urgently” and was “moving staff to other countries”. An Infosys spokesman declined to comment and would not comment on whether the decision to close the Russian office was linked to political pressure on Sunak. Earlier on Friday, Labor leader Sir Kir Starmer called on the chancellor to reveal whether his family was “benefiting from money generated in Russia when the government imposed sanctions” on companies and individuals following Vladimir Putin’s invasion. Ukraine. Sunak, who has repeatedly called on British companies to leave Russia to “inflict maximum financial pain” on Putin’s regime, declined to comment on Aksata Merthy’s 0.91% stake in Infosys. Speaking to the BBC Newscast after a difficult week during which his spring statement met with strong criticism, he said he was “very upset and … wrong for people to try to come to my wife”. Sunak drew parallels with Will Smith, who hit comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday after a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and the besieged English cricket leader Joe Ruth. The chancellor said ironically: “Someone said, ‘Joe Ruth, Will Smith and I – these are not the best weekends for any of us.’ “But I feel in my mind that both Will Smith and I are being attacked by our women – at least I did not get up and slap anyone, which is a good thing.” Murthy, who maintains a low public profile, is the daughter of billionaire founder of Indian tech giant Infosys. According to its latest annual report, Murthy owns a stake in the company worth around 90 690 million, which is estimated to have raised 11 11.5 million in dividend payments last year. Labor and the Liberal Democrats have criticized Sunak for his wife’s investment in the company, with shadow transport secretary Louise Hay calling her “really shocking.” Asked about such comments, Sunak said: “You know, I think it’s very good for people to shoot me. It’s a fair game… [But] “It’s very upsetting and I think it’s wrong for people to try to get to my wife.” He also defended his father-in-law, the founder of Infosys NR Narayana Murthy, saying that he had nothing but great pride and admiration for everything he has achieved, and no attempt at staining is going to make me change it because he is wonderful and has achieved a huge amount. As I said, I’m very proud of him. “ While the UK government has stepped up sanctions on hundreds of Russian businessmen and politicians close to the Putin regime, the Indian government has been more ambivalent about the invasion. Subscribe to the daily Business Today email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk Infosys continued to operate in Russia despite the fact that most major global IT and consulting firms such as Accenture, KPMG, McKinsey, Oracle, PwC and SAP closed all operations in Russia. Earlier this week, Infosys said it had “a small group of employees based in Russia, serving some of our global customers locally.” “We do not have active business relations with local Russian companies,” the company said, adding that it had pledged $ 1 million (7 760,000) to help the victims of the war. The ministerial code says ministers must declare any financial interests that could lead to conflict, including those of their spouse and immediate family. A spokesman for the chancellor said Mercy and her family “had no involvement in the company’s business decisions”.
