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Survey, followed by Cyprus and Greece. “Despite all the efforts that the country and its people are making to fight corruption, unfortunately, the number of respondents who believe bribery and corruption to be widespread in Ukraine is unacceptably high, at 88%,” Alexei Kredisov, Managing Partner, EY
Ukraine,saidinthereport.Russiawasrankedin16t h placebyEY,uptwo slots since two years ago, with 66% of respondents saying they encountered
corruption in the country’s business environment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off on an anti-trust law . The bill on administrative liability for cartel form of collusion into law, the official website of legal information reads on Monday. The State Duma adopted the initiative in the third and final reading on April 7. According to Russian legislation, signing competition-restrictive agreements, concerted actions towards restriction of competition and coordination of economic activity may result in administrative penalties. However, different forms of collusion result in different levels of danger to society, which is why authors of the bill propose to specify liability further. Currently, officials involved in collusion may face fines ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 rubles ($357 - $892) or disqualification for one to three years. Legal entities are to pay a fine ranging from 0.01% to 0.15% of the amount of the offender's income from the sale of goods, services or expenses for the purchase of goods, but no less than 100,000 rubles ($1,785). The law establishes the largest penalty for cartel agreements. Officials are to face fines ranging from 40,000 to 50,000 rubles ($714 - $892) or disqualification for one to three years. Legal entities are to pay a fine ranging from 0.03% to 0.15% of the amount of the offender's income from the sale of goods, services or expenses for the purchase of goods, but no less than 100,000 rubles ($1,785). According to the law, punishment for “vertical” agreements is to be softened. Officials face fines ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 rubles ($267 - $535) or disqualification for one year. Companies are to pay a fine ranging from 0.01% to 0.05% of the amount of the offender's income from the sale of goods, services or expenses for the purchase of goods, but no less than 100,000 rubles ($1,785).
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has dismissed corruption allegations against him as “politically motivated” on April 5 in his first remarks since nationwide protests rocked Russia on March 26. Anti-corruption blogger and opposition leader Alexei Navalny accused him in early March, who released a detailed report on the PM’s wealth. Medvedev — who refused to refer to Navalny by name — said that the opposition leader had “dragged people into the streets” for his own “selfish interests.”
The head of Russia’s Republic of Udmurtia, Alexander Solovyov, was on April 4 detained by law enforcers on suspicion of taking RUB140mn ($2.5m) in bribes and sacked shortly after by President Vladimir Putin. Solovyov, a senator of Russia's Federation Council, was relieved of his duties as head of the republic located 1,200 kilometres east of Moscow after having "lost the trust" of the president, said a decree posted on the Kremlin website. This is the highest-ranking anti-corruption detention since the arrest of the former minister of economic development Alexey Ulyukaev last November.
Ex-Mari Governor Leonid Markelov was arrested on April 13 on bribe-taking charges – the fifth regional leader to be prosecuted in two years and the second governor to be arrested in two weeks . Markelov resigned on 6 April, but was arrested on bribe-taking charges by federal
18 RUSSIA Country Report April 2017 www.intellinews.com