State Duma deputy from A Just Russia Dmitry Gudkov, the son of deputy Gennady Gudkov, has made a post about the incomes of the United Russia deputies on Monday. Gennady Gudkov is under threat of stripping of a deputy mandate for illegal commercial activities. The A Just Russia investigation doubts the lawfulness of the incomes of the United Russia deputies.
The post in the blog is called “Zolotye Krendeli” (gold cakes) of United Russia. The Moskovsky Komsomolets daily reported that deputy of the sixth State Duma Yelena Nikolayeva inspired Gudkov for this name of the post, who is the only stockholder and owner of Zolotoy Krendel, as the authors of the post affirmed. A Just Russia deputies Ilya Ponomarev and Dmitry Gudkov stated about their intentions to smoke out the lawmakers, who demand to deprive Gennady Gudkov of deputy mandate, several days before the publication of the blog post. They intend to update the information once in three days. Deputies did not stop with the post call “Krendeli” and stated that according to their information, for instance, United Russia deputy Grigory Anikeyev owns three enterprises, which were not put on his property declaration. The first victim, “the real image” of which opposition deputies decided to unmask, became the most active opponent of Gudkov the Senior – chairman of the State Duma Committee for Labour and Social Policy Andrei Isayev.
The Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily interviewed Gudkov’s associate Ilya Ponomarev. He noted that the investigation is devoted to the inspection of the assets, which the United Russia deputies own, in order compare the assets of deputy Gennady Gudkov and the incomes of the United Russia parliamentarians, “If the legislation is interpreted in a broader sense, as United Russia is seeking to do over Gennady Gudkov’s incomes, 97 deputies from United Russia should be deprived of mandates, as the latter are just in the same position as Gennady Vladimirovich Gudkov.” Secondly, Ponomarev noted that changes in the assets, particularly those of Isayev, show that the property of deputies keeps growing every year, “Consequently, the person is engaged in commercial activities.”
“We will follow closely, what they are posting. If such facts are exposed, the deputies will bear responsibility. If such facts are not found, those, who make such postings, will bear responsibility,” secretary of the United Russia general council Sergei Neverov stated on Monday. “The deputies can have incomes only from their work. They can earn all other incomes from teaching, lecturing or creative activities. If they do business, this is already illegal,” he said.
According to member of the scientific board of the Moscow Carnegie Centre Nikolai Petrov, who is quoted by the newspaper, United Russia received the response they provoked themselves, “Those who live in the garden should not cast stones. This is the self-defence from the Gudkovs.” The expert noted that this will hardly change the situation cardinally in the country, “The publication of some information is so important as the actions, which the law enforcement agencies are taking over this information. But the way of self-defence and Gudkov’s attempts to draw attention to the fact that the deputies are going to strip them of deputy immunity on the accusations for the actions, in which dozens of United Russia deputies are involved in some way, is the way to bring down pressure that is exerted on them. It is hard to judge how efficient it will be,” he remarked.
Nikolai Petrov sees the similar situation with the Soviet system in this issue, “when there are the laws, which are violated everywhere, but at any moment you can use them against an unsuitable person for you.”