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Commission to check authenticity of lawmakers' income declarations

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MOSCOW, March 15 (Itar-Tass) — A special commission under the State Duma lower house of the Russian parliament will be responsible for checking the authenticity of lawmakers' income declarations. The commission is to be set up on Friday.

On March 16, the house may adopt the resolution to set up a parliamentary commission on control over authenticity of information on comes, property and property obligations of lawmakers. The relevant report has been placed on the State Duma's website.

The draft resolution, which the house committee on procedures has already supported, indicates that the commission is being set up with the view of checking not only the information from annual declarations, but also the compliance by lawmakers with legal bans. Specifically, the commission will have the authority to place inquires with investigative bodies of all levels about financial or property information on a deputy or members of his or her family, as well as about the facts which can be classified as a violation by a State Duma lawmaker of the restrictions placed by the Russian legislation."

The inquires against lawmakers can be initiated by tax and law-enforcement bodies, registered political parties, public associations and the mass media. They should forward their request to the State Duma speaker.

Anonymous information cannot be taken into account.

The commission might be formed on the quota basis and comprise 15 persons from all the factions of the Sate Duma. It will be led by security commission member Vladimir Vasilyev /United Russia/.

Earlier this week, President Dmitry Medvedev presented the concept of the bill which commits civil servants to declare their spending.

"The persons who occupy government jobs, civil servants and municipal officials will have to supply information on their spending or the spending by members of their families to purchase certain kinds of property," Medvedev said.

The information on spending should be supplied if the sum of one-time transaction effected by an official or members of his or her family exceeds the three-year aggregate family income at the main place of service, according to the president.