ID :
167039
Thu, 03/10/2011 - 07:58
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/167039
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Duma approves 100-fold fines for large bribes
MOSCOW, March 10 (Itar-Tass) -- The State Duma on Wednesday, March 9,
passed the first reading of presidential amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offences that should step up the fight against corruption in Russia.
The amendments introduce a 100-fold fine for large bribes and divide
bribes into four groups: a "regular" bribe of up to 25,000 roubles, a
considerable bribe of 25,000 to 150,000 roubles, a large bribe of 150,000 to one million roubles, and a very large bribe of over one million roubles.
As the main penalty for bribery, the amendments impose a fine of 12 to
50 times the bribe or imprisonment of up to three years.
Penalty for a very large bribe will vary from 80 to 100 times the
bribe or imprisonment from 8 to 15 years and a fine of 70 times the bribe.
Commercial bribery, bribe giving, bribe taking or mediation in the act
of bribery will be punished by a fine of up to 100 times the bribe, but no more than 500 million roubles.
A government official who has received a bribe will face a fine f 25
to 50 times the bribe (100,000 to 500,000 roubles now), and if it is a
considerable bribe, then the penalty may rise to 30-60 times the bribe.
Harsher penalties will also be introduced for bribe giving: 15 to 30
times the bribe and possible imprisonment of up to two years. Maximum
penalty for this offence will be 90 times the bribe or imprisonment of
7-12 years, compared to 200,000 roubles now.
The chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State
Development, Vladimir Pligin, said earlier that the State Duma might pass the law introducing multiple fines for bribery by April.
The law was submitted to the lower house of parliament by President
Dmitry Medvedev.
Pligin welcomed the president's initiative as "an important step
against corruption".
"Up till now, members of the white-collar criminal community had the
impression that their property cannot be taken away from them for a bribe.
A fine of up to 500 million roubles will dismiss this illusion to a large extent," the lawmaker said.
The draft law also punishes persons who mediate in the process of
bribing. It amends the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative
Offences "with the view to perfecting state governance in counteracting corruption".
The document amends the Criminal Code to add provisions that hike the
fines for commercial bribery, bribe taking, bribe giving and bribery
mediation to 100-times of the sum of a bribe, but no more than 500 million roubles.
The Russian Code of Administrative Offences will get a new chapter on
legal assistance in cases involving administrative offences, if the
necessary proceedings have to be carried out in a foreign state, primarily against the legal entities involved in bribery.
The Russian government and the Supreme Court have already given
positive assessments of the draft law
"I think it would be useful to move on to serious fines for those who
give bribes or acts as a go-between," State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov
said earlier.
"This issue of new penalties [for economic crimes] can be considered
in a broader context," he said, suggesting this mechanism should be
applied not only to bribery.
passed the first reading of presidential amendments to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offences that should step up the fight against corruption in Russia.
The amendments introduce a 100-fold fine for large bribes and divide
bribes into four groups: a "regular" bribe of up to 25,000 roubles, a
considerable bribe of 25,000 to 150,000 roubles, a large bribe of 150,000 to one million roubles, and a very large bribe of over one million roubles.
As the main penalty for bribery, the amendments impose a fine of 12 to
50 times the bribe or imprisonment of up to three years.
Penalty for a very large bribe will vary from 80 to 100 times the
bribe or imprisonment from 8 to 15 years and a fine of 70 times the bribe.
Commercial bribery, bribe giving, bribe taking or mediation in the act
of bribery will be punished by a fine of up to 100 times the bribe, but no more than 500 million roubles.
A government official who has received a bribe will face a fine f 25
to 50 times the bribe (100,000 to 500,000 roubles now), and if it is a
considerable bribe, then the penalty may rise to 30-60 times the bribe.
Harsher penalties will also be introduced for bribe giving: 15 to 30
times the bribe and possible imprisonment of up to two years. Maximum
penalty for this offence will be 90 times the bribe or imprisonment of
7-12 years, compared to 200,000 roubles now.
The chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State
Development, Vladimir Pligin, said earlier that the State Duma might pass the law introducing multiple fines for bribery by April.
The law was submitted to the lower house of parliament by President
Dmitry Medvedev.
Pligin welcomed the president's initiative as "an important step
against corruption".
"Up till now, members of the white-collar criminal community had the
impression that their property cannot be taken away from them for a bribe.
A fine of up to 500 million roubles will dismiss this illusion to a large extent," the lawmaker said.
The draft law also punishes persons who mediate in the process of
bribing. It amends the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative
Offences "with the view to perfecting state governance in counteracting corruption".
The document amends the Criminal Code to add provisions that hike the
fines for commercial bribery, bribe taking, bribe giving and bribery
mediation to 100-times of the sum of a bribe, but no more than 500 million roubles.
The Russian Code of Administrative Offences will get a new chapter on
legal assistance in cases involving administrative offences, if the
necessary proceedings have to be carried out in a foreign state, primarily against the legal entities involved in bribery.
The Russian government and the Supreme Court have already given
positive assessments of the draft law
"I think it would be useful to move on to serious fines for those who
give bribes or acts as a go-between," State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov
said earlier.
"This issue of new penalties [for economic crimes] can be considered
in a broader context," he said, suggesting this mechanism should be
applied not only to bribery.
