Russia: Corruption Well Above Expected

Friday, 4 July 2008

Moscow, Jun 13 (Prensa Latina) Russia’s Attorney General Investigation Office said corruption exceeds 2,000 fold official estimates.

According to Interfax news agency, the report issued September 2007 says bribery represents 1.7 percent of crimes committed nation wide.

The source also mentions an increasing level of disguise and mask of white collar corruption crimes that reach the judiciary and state security.

Illegal income stand for one third the national budget while some businessmen allocated $33 billion to bribe public servants, says INDEM Fund.

At the end of the first quarter of 2008 the Attorney General’s Office reported over 14,000 corruption cases that represent an additional ten percent compared to similar period in 2007.

The above led President elect Dmitri Medvedev to set up a special council to fight the scourge and the Duma established a permanent commission to secure laws and anti-corruption actions.

Outgoing President Vladimir Putin admitted that corruption has been the worst problem to deal with along eight years in office.

www.plenglish.com

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