Russian Natural Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev earned the ruble equivalent of $7.9 million last year, the most of any cabinet member. Economy Minister German Gref earned the least, about $45,000, a Russian daily reported Friday.

Trutnev’s income is double what he made in 2004 and about 18 times the 12 million rubles ($448,000) declared by Transportation Minister Igor Levitin, the second biggest earner in the cabinet.

The incomes were published in Rossiskaya Gazeta, the official government newspaper. No explanations are given in the annual income declarations of senior government officials. Prime Minster Mikhail Fradkov said he made 1.8 million rubles.

Trutnev, a former governor of the Perm region, is leading an investigation that may halt construction work at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s $22 billion Sakhalin-2 project, Russia’s largest foreign investment, the Bloomberg news agency reports.

Trained as an oil engineer, Trutnev, 50, spent most the 1980s working for Komsomol, the Communist Party’s youth league, according to his ministry’s Web site. He was named Natural Resources Minister in March 2004. He declared income for that year of $3.8 million, Vedomosti newspaper reported in January.

Levitin also disclosed he owns a country house, an apartment and a 3,000 square meter plot of land, all listed as being in Russia. Communications Minister Leonid Reiman, who posted income 11.02 million rubles, owns 5 apartments, 2 plots of land and a country house. He also has a one-quarter stake in a sixth apartment.

Popularity: 1% [?]