Fighting Corruptionin Russia
October 2010
* Materials disseminated by Ketchum Inc. on behalf of the Russian Federation. Additional information regarding the dissemination of these materials can be obtained at the Department of Justice.
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Fighting Corruption in Russia
Widespread corruption is commonly acknowledged as one of Russia’s most acute problems, and a majorobstacle to the country’s social and economic development. Since the very start of his term in office,President Dmitry Medvedev has prioritized the fight against corruption in his modernization agenda. In July2008, he presented aNational Anti-Corruption Plan,which was complemented in April 2010 by acomprehensiveNational Strategy for Countering Corruption.Both documents, which combine a set ofcorrective and preventive measures, provide a concrete roadmap to tackle a phenomenon which Medvedevdescribed as “
a threat to the country’s social stability and national security
.”
O
BJECTIVES AND
R
ATIONALE
• Adhering to international standards
: One of the main objectives linked to the adoption of officialdocuments such as the National Plan and the National Strategy is to establish a formal set of measuresagainst which Russia’s actions to tackle corruption can be accurately identified and assessed. This isrecommended by the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption(GRECO)and should serve as asignal to foreign businesses and investors that Russia is determined to adhere to international standards ofpublic administration and corporate governance.
• Combining sanction and prevention
: Russia’s approach to the fight against corruption comprises anumber of measures aimed at tightening sanctions against corrupt behavior, but also at reducing theincentives for such behavior in the first place. Such measures include in particular the development of e-government services, which will improve Russian citizens’ access to information while streamliningadministrative procedures.
• Involving civil society:
Beyond the introduction of more efficient sanctions and deterrents, the NationalPlan and Strategy also pursue the broader goal of shifting the Russian public’s general mindset and attitudetoward corruption, from acceptance and resignation to the perception that corruption is an intolerablesocial evil. “
[W]hat is much more important than policy concepts, than documents, than even those lawsthat have been adopted…is the overall state of affairs, the attitudes to this phenomenon in our country,in the government, among the bureaucracy and among ordinary people,
”
President Medvedevsaidin Aprilthis year. For this purpose, the strategy insists on the need to involve civil society in various anti-corruptioninitiatives, in particular through the use of the media.•
Aiming for long-term results
: As President Medvedevnoted in 2009, corruption in Russia has
“a systemicnature, deep historic roots.”
This is why it will take time before significant results, which require changesin the fundamental attitudes of Russian society, can be felt.
“I don't think we can achieve tangible resultsin one year or two. If I am a realist we could get good results in 15,"
the president said.
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K
EY
M
EASURES
• Ban on arbitrary inspections of small and medium enterprises
: One of President Medvedev’s firstmeasures on assuming office was to bar state authorities (from police and firefighters to health inspectors)from entering and inspecting small businesses without an appropriate instruction from a court orprosecutor, as such arbitrary inspections were largely used as a pretext to extort bribes.
• Stricter controls and rules of conduct for civil servants
:
o
In accordance with theFederal Law
on Fighting Corruption
from December 25, 2008, federalgovernment agencies must set up commissions to oversee the compliance of civil servants withstandards of professional conduct.
o
On May 21, 2010, Kremlin Spokesman Alexei Pavlov alsoconfirmedthat the Justice Ministry isdrafting legislation that will ban bureaucrats from accepting gifts, strip corrupt officials of theirimmunity and clear the way for confiscating bribe-takers’ assets.
o
The Russian Interior Ministry recently proposed the introduction of new instruments intended toidentify corrupt civil servants by “testing” their resistance to bribery: according to the newmeasure, which still needs to be approved and would require a change to Russia’s criminal code,civil servants suspected of corruption would be offered bribes by undercover investigators – withthe potential consequence of being fired if they agree.
• Civil service reform
: The Russian authorities have taken a number of steps to reform the civil service inorder to make it leaner, more efficient and less vulnerable to corruption. While a complete overhaul of theInterior Ministry is planned for 2011-2012, Moscow’s police force will be slashed by 22 percent by the end of2011 and rank-and-file officers will see their pay more than double,Bloomberg reported in April. In
September this year, Finance Minister Kudrin announced another cut of 100,000 in government staff by2013.
• Preventing corruption in public tenders:
Ensuring that public procurements are fairly attributed is keyto fighting corruption, which is why President Medvedev recently issuedinstructionsto the government todesign an effective system for monitoring tenders for the procurement of medical equipment. The newmonitoring system should be in place by February 2011.
• Developing e-government services
: While the utility of e-government goes well beyond this aspect, itcan be a very useful tool for tackling corruption by providing information to citizens and limiting contactswith potentially corrupt bureaucrats. In recent years, Russia took determined steps in this direction withthe establishment of aPresidential Council for the Development of an Information Societyand thedevelopment of a governmental program for 2011-2018. One of the major initiatives in this regard is thecreation of anational electronic payment system,which the government set in motion earlier this year.
• Supporting civil society actions:
The Russian authorities support the actions of theCommittee forFighting Corruption,a non-governmental organization which intends to raise civil society’s awareness of thecauses and dangers of corruption. They also encourage all businesses active in Russia to join theanti-corruption pledgesigned by many international firms in April 2010.
F
IGURES
• Transparency International ranked Russia No. 154 of 178 in its 2010 Corruption Perception Index.In 2009,
it estimated bribe-taking amounted to about $300 billion a year.• A total of 4,500 corruption cases were brought to court in the first half of 2009 in Russia, with 532 publicofficials and 700 law-enforcers being convicted.
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Fighting Corruption in Russia (factsheet via ModernRussia.com)
A www.ModernRussia.com factsheet - Widespread corruption is commonly acknowledged as one of Russia’s most acute problems, and a major obstacle to the country’s social and economic development. Since the very start of his term in office,…
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