MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. The bill on criminal liability for the implementation of anti-Russian sanctions requires careful consideration because in its current version it can harm Russian companies, ex-Finance Minister and new head of the Accounts Chamber Alexei Kudrin said in an interview with TASS.
"I think it's good that the bill on criminal liability has been postponed, and we decided to more carefully check its possible consequences. In my opinion, in its current version, the way it was proposed, it would rather create problems for Russian business than protect it," Kudrin said.
Law on counter-sanctions
On Tuesday, Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) passed the final third reading of a law on counter-sanctions against the US and other unfriendly states.
The law stipulates that the Russian president may provide the government with the right to impose restrictions, provided they do not apply to vital supplies which have no analogues produced in Russia or other countries. Decisions on sanctions may be made by the president based on proposals submitted by the Russian Security Council. At the same time, in case the situation causing the introduction of sanctions should change, the government will remove these restrictions.
The Russian cabinet will have the right to halt cooperation with unfriendly states and organizations controlled by them or affiliated with them.
The government can also ban and limit the export of goods and raw materials from the US and other unfriendly states. However, restrictions will not apply to goods that Russian and foreign citizens may bring from abroad for personal use.
Last week, Russia’s State Duma considered two bills related to counteractive measures against western sanctions. The first bill provided for imposing countersanctions and the second one envisaged criminal liability for compliance with western sanctions on the Russian soil. The second bill raised criticism of the business community.
On Monday, Speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, who was one of the initiators of the bills, said the lawmakers postponed consideration of the second bill on liability for aiding sanctions on Russian soil in order to hold additional consultations.