Russia proposes decriminalising ‘unavoidable’ bribes

'There’s not a single rational explanation for the use of exceptional circumstances when an official couldn’t declare a conflict of interest', says deputy head of Transparency International Russia

Russian president Vladimir Putin signed plans in June 2018 calling for legislation to allow officials to escape prosecution for corruption in exceptional circumstances (ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

Bribery and other acts of corruption made under “exceptional circumstances” could be decriminalised, Russia’s Justice Ministry has suggested.

Anti-corruption plans signed by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin last June called for legislation to allow officials to escape prosecution for corruption under “force majeure”, or exceptional, circumstances.

The Justice Ministry has now drafted amendments to exempt officials from punishment when corruption is unavoidable, The Moscow Times reported/

“In certain circumstances, complying with restrictions and bans... to prevent or settle conflicts of interests … is impossible for objective reasons,” the draft bill says.

Complying with anti-corruption regulations could be “impossible due to objective reasons” in single-industry or closed cities, the Far North or other “remote and sparsely populated places”, the Justice Ministry told the state-run TASS news agency.

Such exceptional circumstances could also include “long-term serious illness”, the ministry said.

Russia is among the most corrupt countries in the world, ranked 138 out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s annual corruption index.

Ilya Shumanov, deputy head of Transparency International Russia, told business daily Vedomosti that the amendments would provide loopholes for officials to avoid responsibility.

“There’s not a single rational explanation for the use of exceptional circumstances when an official couldn’t declare a conflict of interest,” Ms Shumanov said.