Over 500 businessman pardoned in Russia under economic amnesty in ten weeks – business ombudsman

(Interfax – MOSCOW. September 17, 2013) Over 500 people have been pardoned under the economic amnesty declared in July 2013 by the Russian State Duma, the office of Russian business ombudsman Boris Titov said.

“As of September 16, the number of individuals, to whom the State Duma’s decree On Declaring Amnesty from July 2, 2012 was applied, is 525 people,” Titov’s office told Interfax on Tuesday.

Those amnestied include convicts relieved of serving their time further and those, against whom criminal prosecution was stopped during investigation, the ombudsman’s office said.

Public ombudsman responsible for protecting rights of convicts regarding the amnesty implementation, State Duma deputy Oleg Denisenko said that he had checked how amnesty was proceeding during a working trip to the Kaliningrad region. As amnesty is being implemented, the volume of work for prosecutors and bailiffs increases, he said.

According to the resolution passed by the State Duma, the amnesty applies to people convicted for the first time under the Russian Criminal Code Articles 146, 147, 159.1, 159.4, 171, 171.1, 172, 173.1, 173.2, 174, 174.1, 176, 177, 178 Part 1, 178 Part 2, 180, 181, 191, 192, 193, 194 Part. 1, 194 Part 2, 194 Part 3, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 199.1 and 199.2, if these individuals have carried out the obligation to return property and/or to repay damages.

People convicted under these articles for the first time are also relieved of conditional and suspended sentences, of the remaining time not served in case of parole and penalties not related to imprisonment.

The conviction of individuals, who served time under the aforementioned articles, is expunged.