Russia’s Ministry of Justice is proposing a change to make some corrupt acts exempt from punishment, if the corruption is found to be unavoidable. The proposed rule says officials and public figures could be exempt if “objective circumstances” made it impossible for them to comply with corruption laws.
Corruption that is “due to force majeure is not an offense,” the proposal states. But it does not go into detail about the circumstances under which conflicts of interest, bribery, fraud and other offenses might be decriminalized.
The proposed rule, which is published online, was created to fulfill a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin last year. Because of that order, several federal agencies are now working to amend Russia’s corruption laws, with the Justice Ministry leading the effort along with the ministries of labor and internal affairs and the public prosecutors’ office.
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