Duma may pass law on multiple fines for bribery by April

MOSCOW, February 17 (Itar-Tass) -- The State Duma may pass the law
introducing multiple fines for bribery by April, the chairman of the
Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Development, Vladimir
Pligin, said.
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 proposed a draft law authorising confiscation
of property for corruption.
The draft law suggests amending Article 104.1 of the Criminal Code to
include a provision on confiscation of money, values and other property
obtained through money laundering.
The main purpose of the draft law is to prevent money laundering and
make the right against economic crimes more effective.
The Russian Interior Ministry, in turn, suggested enlarging the list
of grounds for the confiscation of property from government officials
charged with corruption.
The Russian government and the Supreme Court have already given
positive assessments of the draft law.