| The government celebrated Anti-Corruption Day Today the world celebrates Anti-Corruption Day. The Russian government celebrated it the day before at its regular meeting.
When a state with an underdeveloped judicial system begins not so much a systemic, but rather a demonstrative fight against corruption , this, at best, resembles shadowboxing. At worst, it can lead to the fact that stronger bureaucratic clans, using harsh law enforcement practices, deal with weaker ones.
“We ourselves violate, and we ourselves get pleasure from it,” Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov unexpectedly expressed a Freudian thought at yesterday’s cabinet meeting, where Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika delivered the report of the day, if not the year. The report was devoted to the fight against violations of the law by civil servants .
No one prepared or expected big names or any other shocks. But still, a public speech by the Prosecutor General about corruption in the executive branch, delivered in the face of ministers in front of television cameras, is an extraordinary thing these days. At least as a reason for half-confession and half-hints.
Mr. Chaika was careful and extremely global, so as not to get personal. He said that 11 ministries were inspected as part of the fight against corruption. As a result, 18 people were fired and four managers were given warnings. 249 cases of violation of the law on civil service were identified in the highest executive bodies. Among the most common violations are failure to submit income declarations, participation of officials in commercial activities, and the use of various funds to finance civil servants. The lists of violators include the largest number of employees of Rosoobrazovanie, Rosaviatsiya, the Federal Tax Service and the Federal Customs Service . As an example of retribution for corruption, Mr. Chaika cited the convicted deputy of the financial control department of the Ministry of Industry and Energy Miskov - apparently the highest-ranking official available.
To change the situation, the Prosecutor General proposed bringing domestic legislation into line with international legislation, adopting a separate anti-corruption law and a special program on the same topic. And also hold another, separate government meeting dedicated to the fight against corruption. (Yesterday we also discussed innovation policy and federal target programs.)
Deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Alexander Chekalin was much more substantive than his colleague. He simply said that the obstacle to the fight against corruption is “inexplicably loyal law enforcement practices.” He called the punishments for corrupt officials too lenient - “below the lowest limit.” And he proposed “the introduction of a non-alternative sanction - exclusively imprisonment.”
The push for exclusively forceful methods of fighting corruption caused resistance from civilian ministers. Chief of Staff of the Government Sergei Naryshkin noted that Russia, as a sufficiently educated country, can fight corruption using preventive methods: implementing administrative reform, thoroughly regulating the activities of the authorities, where there is no “discretion” clause, etc. He was supported by Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin. He recalled that Russia is notorious in the world as a country where officials have unlimited rights to permit activities. And he demanded “to raise more firmly the issue of the state’s withdrawal from economic activity and the reduction of state functions by half.”
The head of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, German Gref, first decided to discuss corruption for real. “No press?” he asked. “With the press,” responded the prime minister. -- What? Then a question for you?” The minister fell silent. But, apparently having digested the fact of unexpected publicity, ten minutes later he took his toll. “Corruption,” said Mr. Gref, “is a key constraint on the dynamics of economic growth. That's what worries us most." In general, he put forward the slogan of the day: “Let's halve corruption - double GDP!” He also called on officials: “Stop being a hypocrite!” Mr. Gref believes that those who put dashes about themselves in their declarations are lying, and their relatives appear on the lists of the richest people in the country.
“Caesar's wife is beyond suspicion,” German Gref clearly nodded towards Moscow . Mr. Kudrin supported his colleague, but in his own way. First, he pointed to well-known Moscow leaders who wanted to get into the stabilization fund, noting: “To quit smoking, they simply need to smoke everything that has accumulated in the warehouses.” And then he mentioned others - not corrupt officials yet, but still violators of all existing regulations.
At the end, the prime minister promised that “at a government meeting such topics will only be discussed openly.” And he recommended that ministers start the fight against corruption “with themselves and their apparatus.” And do this “either within the framework of legislation or ethical standards,” where the latter is lacking. Vera KUZNETSOVA |
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