Russia's parliament has moved to clamp down on corruption in the country. The State Duma adopted a draft law in which gifts to government officials worth more than 5,000 roubles (about $US 190) would be confiscated. Officials will also be obliged to decla
From now on the life of bribe-takers should become difficult. In addition to a number of measures to combat corruption, the legislation encourages people to inform authorities about any cases of palm-greasing they learn about. In addition, an official – upon one’s retirement from the state service – can work in commercial and non-commercial organisations for two years only after they have been given consent by a supervisory committee. The law also reduces the immunity of deputies and judges. President Dmitry Medvedev announced the war on corruption in the country in May this year just after his inauguration, and proposed a package of bills to fight this ‘disease’. On November 7 the State Duma adopted the bills after the first reading. According to official statistics, in 2008 alone 24,000 cases of corruption were registered. About 200 mayors and heads of local administrations were brought to justice.