MOSCOW, Dec. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Presidential economic advisor Andrei Illarionov, the lone dissenter in the Kremlin on most aspects of its economic policy, has resigned, Russian news agencies reported Tuesday.

    "I have tendered my resignation as a presidential economic advisor and handed it to my employer," Illarionov told a press conference in Moscow. "I think the decision will be approved."

    Illarionov, 44, who worked in the Russian government in the early 1990s, was appointed an adviser to Putin in 2000.

    Asked why he is leaving, Illarionov said, "As long as there wasthe opportunity to do and say something, I felt it was important to stay here (as advisor). Until recently, nobody put any limits on me to express my viewpoints. The situation has changed."

    There were several reasons behind his decision to quit, he added.

    Illarionov was stripped of his duties as envoy to the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations earlier this year after he described as "the scam of the year" steps by state-owned corporations to take over private companies, most notably the legal onslaught against the Yukos oil company.

    He also spoke out against the large amount of borrowing by state-owned companies, which exceeded Russia's foreign debt. Enditem