A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Thursday introduced a bill that expands the powers of the Justice Department to seize Russian assets on behalf of Ukraine, the text of the document was published by one of its authors, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
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The bill was called the “Illegal Asset Transfer Act to Ukraine” and was co-sponsored, in addition to Manchin, by Congressmen Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), and Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota).
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“This bipartisan bill will allow the Department of Justice to expand its powers to seize Russian assets and transfer them directly to Ukraine,” Manchin said on this occasion.
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He noted that he firmly intends to achieve the approval of this bill at the legislative level at this “critical time for Ukraine.”
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The draft law expands the existing powers of the Ministry of Justice in terms of measures in relation to confiscated Russian assets. In addition, the document imposes an obligation on the heads of the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury and the US Secretary of State to outline plans regarding the use of these powers, as well as to report to Congress on this issue every six months.
