Azernews.Az

MOSCOW – The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament is to debate legislation to strengthen the punishment for bribery and commercial illegal payouts. If the legislation becomes law, offenders will pay into the state coffers an amount 100-fold bigger than the sum received in a bribe, The Voice of Russia reported.

The law will become a vital link in the state’s war on corruption, which has been retarding the country’s economic development. President Dmitry Medvedev announced the government’s resolve to stamp out the monster in 2010 in his state of the Nation Address to the Federation Council.

One third of all the economic crimes in Russia fall under bribery, and most of them involve small amounts of money, and it has doubled since last year. Bribery in the country paints an unsavoury picture of Russia. The authors of the legislation hope that it will make the potential bribe-taker think hard about whether he or she will be in a position to compensate the state for the crime before demanding a bribe. The state will gain more by receiving restitution from the bribe-takers than from keeping them behind bars, said Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the State Duma.

"The president’s initiative provides for a fine for commercial payouts, the presentation of a country house and serving as an intermediary, which are all forms of bribery" says Gryzlov. The amount of the fine will be higher than the bribe a hundred fold, but the ceiling will be 500 million rubles or 17 million dollars, and in addition, the bribe-takers will be sentenced to 15 years in prison, while the bribe giver will serve a 12-year jail term, Gryzlov said.

If the legislation becomes law, the law enforcement agencies will have additional powers of investigating corruption allegations against Russians living in foreign countries. It is a well known fact that many dishonest citizens siphon their ill-gotten money to foreign states.

The fine of a hundred times higher that the bribe money will serve as an extra punishment, says Mikhail Salkin - a Moscow rights activist.

"The fine should be in addition to the jail term, which could be more effective than substituting a fine for a real prison sentence. At any rate, it is a step forward," said Salkin.

Members of the Russian business community whole-heartedly support the legislation. After all, they are on the receiving end of the social cankerworm, and many businessmen have paid with their lives or lost their business for standing up to corrupt officials.

President Medvedev believes that the law will hit the bribe-takers where it hurts most-greed, saying that the government will not stop at half-measure and will prosecute the war to a triumphant end. It is likely that fresh steps at fighting against corruption will be announced soon since bribes are given not only in cash, but also in kind.