MOSCOW, November 2 (Itar-Tass) — The State Duma is expected to pass the president's anti-corruption package of laws at the third, final, reading before November 23, leader of United Russia's members in the Duma and Vice-Speaker Andrei Vorobyov told reporters on Friday.
The draft laws oblige officials to declare their spending as well as incomes.
It will be an important step in the fight against corruption. Everything must be clearly visible, as on the palm of the hand, the vice-speaker stated.
After the president's initiatives are adopted, commissions, similar to that headed by Vladimir Vasilyev in the Duma, to control true incomes and spending of civil servants will operate in all the Russian regions, in all the power structures, the lawmaker noted.
Parliamentary hearings will be held in the State Duma on November 7 by the second reading of the initiative of the Russian Supreme Court to change Article 159 of the Criminal Code (on fraud). The regulations worked out in the Soviet Union must be brought into conformity with present realities, to prevent any abuses, the United Russia leader in the Duma said.
Amendments are already prepared to stipulate that a criminal case on fraud charges may be opened only when the aggrieved party brings complaints, but in any case when state organizations and municipal authorities are concerned. Besides, it calls for bringing law enforcement officials to account for ungrounded persecution under Article 159.
The vice-speaker expects the Duma to pass the new version of Article 159 before December 1.