Average bribe in Russia triples

The average bribe in Russia has nearly tripled in price this year, reaching 613,700 rubles ($9,440 at today's rate), states an annual report published the Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights.

According to association’s chair, Maria Bast, one year ago the average bribe in Russia stood at 218,400 rubles, or about $5,600. She noted that that in dollars, the average amount of money paid as a bribe grew by 40 percent between August 2014 and September 2015.

The report, based on data from the Anti-Corruption Civil Society Center “Clean Hands,” also states that the most bribe-prone institution in Russia are the courts. Courts topped the bribery charts in 2014, as well. Over 60 percent of all bribe complaints filed with the “Clean Hands” hotline were lodged against judicial authorities.

The second largest number of complaints had to do with Russia’s internal affairs authorities, which include the police. While the average amount paid in bribes to these authorities stood at 5,000 rubles ($74), Bast said that bribes for stopping police officers from launching a criminal case started at 500,000 rubles ($7,420).

Regional executive authorities were the third most common culprit when it came to reported bribes.

“The average amount of a bribe for court rulings in criminal cases stands at around 3 million rubles [$44,500],” said the head of the Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights.

Interfax

• The Anti-Corruption Civil Society Center “Clean Hands” was launched by the Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights in 2008. Its main function is hosting a hotline where people who have been affected by corruption can file bribe allegations. The hotline receives over 50 calls per day from all over the country.
• The Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on September 1 that, according to official statistics from the Prosecutor General’s Office, the average bribe in Russia grew twofold from 2014 to 2015. According to Izvestia, the average bribe in 2014 stood at 109,000 rubles ($1,618), while in 2015 this number was 208,000 rubles ($3,088).
• Inflation in Russia stood at 4.8 percent in the first half of 2015.
• In August 2014, the ruble traded at 48 per euro and 36 per dollar. In August 2015, the price of the euro varied between 66 and 81 rubles, while the price of one dollar varied between 60.3 and 69.9 rubles.