Statement of the Yabloko Party, 26.10.2020

DECISION # 2488

Moscow, October 16, 2020

Having discussed the information on the state of affairs with ensuring in Russia the right of citizens to compensation for harm from corruption, presented by Alexei Karnaukhov, head of the Anti-Corruption Policy Centre of the YABLOKO Party, and Anton Pominov, Director General of ANO Centre for Anti-Corruption Research and Initiatives of Transparency International – Russia,

the Bureau of the YABLOKO Party decided the following:

1. Adopt a statement “Everyone should have the right to compensation for damage from corruption” on the need for Russia to join the Council of Europe’s civil liability convention on corruption.

2. Instruct the regional branches of the Party to publish a statement on the party pages in social networks and other available information resources.

3. Invite Party members to sign the petition “Develop a draft law on compensation for harm from corruption” initiated by Transparency International – Russia and posted on the change.org platform and share it on social media pages and other accessible information resources with their commentaries on the importance of providing mechanisms for citizens to exercise their right to compensation for damage from corruption, as well as with an appeal to support the petition.

Nikolai Rybakov,

Yabloko Chairman

Adopted by decision of the Party Bureau No. 2488,

dated October 16, 2020

STATEMENT

Everyone should have the right to compensation for damage from corruption

On November 4, 1999, the Council of Europe adopted the Civil Law Convention on Corruption. The essence of this convention is the possibility for citizens to recover in court damages from the state for the use of power for personal gain. It is the state that should be responsible for the actions of corrupt officials, return money to the budget and compensate the victims. More than 30 states have ratified and successfully applied the Civil Law Convention on Corruption. Russia has not yet joined the convention, despite all the declarative statements by the President on the national plans to combat corruption.

For the past 20 years, the President of Russia has had every opportunity, but has done nothing to sign the convention and give Russian citizens the opportunity to receive full and fair compensation for damage from corruption: to compensate for real damage and lost profits, receive compensation for moral damage. On the contrary, the personal enrichment of the top officials of the state became the basis and the meaning of the existence of the system of governing in Russia.

Corruption and the fake official fight against it are parts of the same problem. This problem can be fundamentally solved only by the regular change of public authority, real independence of the courts and freedom of speech. However, even in the conditions of the Russian autocracy, damage from corruption must be compensated.

Today, all people indirectly suffer from corruption in Russia – corruption rent is included in every purchase till slip and in every utility bill. In some cases, the damage is absolutely direct. Whether it is the loss of a company due to dishonest government procurement contracts or a broken car due to the machinations of officials on road construction – all such cases require compensation for damage from corruption.

We are convinced that it is in the interests of its citizens that Russia must join the Civil Law Convention on Corruption.

We demand that the President immediately sign the convention on civil liability for corruption and submit it for ratification to the Federal Assembly, and immediately develop all the bills necessary to implement the Convention.

Nikolai Rybakov,

Yabloko Chairman