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Some 10,000 people might be eligible for economic amnesty in Russia

The logic of the economic amnesty exempts from responsibility for the crimes that do not have a high degree of public danger

MOSCOW, June 25 (Itar-Tass) - Some 10,000 people convicted for economic crimes might be released from prison under the amnesty proposed by the Russian president, lawmaker from All-Russia People's Front Viktor Klimov said in an interview to Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

"Estimates vary from 9,000 to 11,000," Klimov said, adding that it is important that beside setting people free, criminal prosecution of persons under these /penal code/ articles will be dropped.

Earlier in the day, President Vladimir Putin submitted a draft resolution on amnesty which envision setting free the persons who are being prosecuted or have been convicted for economic crimes for the first time.

The State Duma committee for civil, criminal, arbitration and procedural legislation recommended the house to pass it on Tuesday, July 2.

The Communist faction at the State Duma said it would support the document.

"Actually, this decision is ripe; it has to be made," Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov told Tass, it is "routine practice" to demand that the suspects return property or reimburse damage to injured parties. "The faction is likely to support the resolution," Zyuganov stated.

Also on Tuesday, the Liberal Democratic Party /LDPR/ faction said it would support the president-proposed economic amnesty resolution, too. "We'll support it," leader of the LDPR faction Igor Lebedev said, adding that "business persons should work and pay taxes; /they/ shouldn't stay in prison."

Chairwoman of the house committee for security and combating corruption Irina Yarovaya said the persons who embezzled budget money should not be eligible for amnesty.

The logic of the economic amnesty "exempts from responsibility for the crimes that do not have a high degree of public danger." At the same time, a proposal has been drawn calling for introducing penalties for theft of budget money and state corporation- and extra-budgetary funds."

The punishment for such crimes should be inevitable and tougher than for fraud. "Those who steal budget money should realize that the punishment will be severe. Fifteen years in prison would not be the harshest sanction for embezzling budget funds," Yarovaya added.

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