Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has criticized...
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.