$40 billion

If reports are correct, Russian President Vladimir Putin is the fourth wealthiest person on earth, behind only Microsoft founder Bill Gates; uber investor Warren Buffett; and telecom magnate Carlos Slim Helu.

The claims over the president's assets surfaced last month when the Russian political expert Stanislav Belkovsky gave an interview to the German newspaper Die Welt. They have since been repeated in the Washington Post and the Moscow Times, with speculation over the fortune appearing on the internet.

Citing sources inside the president's administration, Belkovsky claims that after eight years in power Putin has secretly accumulated more than $40bn (£20bn). The sum would make him Russia's - and Europe's - richest man.

And this makes him wealthier than the founder of Ikea; the heiress of the L'Oreal fortune; and the owner of Oracle.

I'm not saying that it's impossible for an honest civil servant to acquire a $40 billion bankroll, but the top three men on the Fortune list built some of the most successful companies in the history of capitalism. Putin is a career government employee.

Makes you wonder just what the heck Bush really saw when he gazed into the soul of his good buddy Vladimir.