The Ministry of Justice proposed to exclude officials and “foreign agents” from anti-corruption examinations

The Russian Ministry of Justice has proposed amendments to the law on anti-corruption expertise of normative acts in order to limit the list of those who can be involved as experts. The amendments are posted for public comment.

The Office proposes to prohibit an independent examination of:

• citizens with an outstanding criminal record,
• officials and civil servants
• former officials dismissed due to loss of confidence,
• local authorities,
• international and foreign organizations,
• "foreign agents".

As stated in the explanatory note, the restrictions for officials are due to the fact that for the "true independence" of the examination, it is necessary to guarantee the absence of state funding in any form.

The ban on foreign organizations and "foreign agents" is explained by the need to protect "the foundations of the constitutional order, morality, the rights and legitimate interests of Russian citizens, the national interests of the Russian Federation, the defense capability and security of the state."

• A general anti-corruption review of regulations (and drafts of such documents) is carried out to find unreasonable exceptions and other requirements that may lead to abuse. The main bodies that conduct the examination are the Ministry of Justice and the prosecutor's office.
• In addition, ordinary citizens and civil society institutions can conduct their independent examination of normative acts. It is this examination that is affected by the bill of the Ministry of Justice. The results of such an independent examination are mandatory for consideration by the government, but are advisory in nature.