Damage from corruption in Russia exceeded 20 billion rubles in 2012 – Chaika

MOSCOW. Feb 20 (Interfax) – The fight against corruption intensified in Russia in 2012 and the damage from corruption is estimated at more than 20 billion rubles, Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika said.

“We have determined over 49,000 (corruption) encroachments, which is almost one-fourth more than was registered in 2011, and the number of people found to have committed corruption has increased by 13%,” Chaika told a “parliamentary hour” meeting in the State Duma on Wednesday.

“The damage has reached almost 21 billion rubles,” he said.

The number of registered crimes committed by organized groups has tripled, and the number of (misappropriations) in large and especially large amounts went up 80%,” Chaika said.

Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Investigations Committee, said in his report to the State Duma on the disclosure of corruption facts that these figures do not reflect the full picture of corruption in the country.

“In 2012, the number of corruption crimes involving the Investigations Committee increased considerably, despite the general 4% decrease in crime, reaching almost 50,000 crimes. Some 10,000 facts of bribe-taking were registered,” Bastrykin said.

“Yury Yakovlevich is right to say that these figures clearly do not reflect the number of corruption crimes committed in the country. We agree on that. Despite the figures I am giving now, we, of course, should intensify our cooperation in this direction,” Bastrykin said.

Bastrykin said the Investigations Committee made over 800 decisions on the prosecution of people who had special legal status in 2012. Specifically, some 600 parliamentarians elected heads of municipal entities and local self-government bodies were subjected to criminal liability

“Among them are 19 deputies of the legislative assemblies of the Russian regions, 29 members of elections commissions, 6 judges, and 100 investigators from various agencies, of which, unfortunately, 15 were Investigations Committee officials,” he said.