US Justice Department seeks greater powers from Congress to seize assets of Russian oligarchs as a means of pressure on Moscow. This was stated on Tuesday by one of the leading prosecutors of the ministry, reports Voice of America..

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In testimony to the Judiciary Committee, Andrew Adams, head of the DOJ Senate Asset Tracing Task Force KleptoCapture, said Congress should allow prosecutors to confiscate assets used to circumvent sanctions, not just proceeds from sanctions circumvention..

Adams also said the statute of limitations for certain financial crimes - such as money laundering - should be doubled to 10 years to give prosecutors "

Adams testified during Congressional consideration of bills that would allow the proceeds from confiscated Russian assets to be used to help the people of Ukraine.

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The task force was set up in March to empower the US to punish wealthy Russians whom Washington accuses of allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to unleash a war of aggression in Ukraine..

Prosecutors have since received arrest warrants for two yachts owned by sanctioned Russians and planes owned by billionaire Roman Abramovich, among other assets..