Press Release, 31.01.2022

The Public Prosecutor General’s Office in its answer to the inquiry by the Yabloko Anti-Corruption Policy Centre recognised housing subsidies to officials already owning apartments as legal. The Government Decree made an exception in the rules for high-ranking officials, the Public Prosecutor General’s Office stressed. The experts of the Yabloko Anti-Corruption Policy Centre insist that such a norm is corruption prone.

Earlier, journalists found out that a number of high-ranking officials received subsidies as “needy” (poor) citizens. Among those supported by the state were Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov, Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev, Deputy Minister of Sports Odes Baisultanov, deputy head of the Department of Presidential Affairs Dmitry Verbovoy, Deputy Minister of Culture Alla Manilova and others.

Government Decree N 63 of January 27, 2009, describes the rules for granting subsidies to civil servants. However, the Decree made an exception for employees of the categories “managers” and “assistants (advisers)” in the group of top positions with the wording: in order to increase the motivation for the effective performance of their duties, it is allowed to provide a lump sum payment without regard to conditions. At the same time, according to the Methodology for Conducting Anti-Corruption Expertise, the definition of competence according to the formula “has the right”, as well as the possibility of unjustified setting of exceptions from the general procedure, are corruption-prone factors.

Aleksey Karnaukhov, head of the Yabloko Anti-Corruption Policy Centre, sent a proposal to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin offering to eliminate the corruption-prone rule-exception on subsidies for high-ranking officials from the government decree.

ALEXEI KARNAUKHOV

is lawyer, Director of the Yabloko Anti-Corruption Policy Centre and municipal deputy of the Moscow district of Khamovniki