Press release, 07.11.2017

Sergei Mitrokhin, the head of Yabloko’s Anti-Corruption Policy Centre, demands that the information on the income of high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, including the income of the Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, must be disclosed. At the moment the information is hidden.

According to Yabloko’s lawyer Alexei Chumakov, there is a gap in Russia’s legislation allowing a large number of the Foreign Ministry’s officials not to publicly report on their income, expenses and property obligations.

In conformity with the order of the Foreign Minister, only the Minister and his or her deputies must report on their income publicly. It means that 40 heads of the Foreign Ministry’s departments are not obliged to report on their income publicly. According to a presidential decree, heads of government agencies themselves decide who of their staff members must publish their anti-corruption declarations.

Sergei Mitrokhin addressed Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposing to amend the decree and make all the heads of the Foreign Ministry’s department report on their property and income. The proposal on bringing anti-corruption decrees in conformity with the UN Convention Against Corruption was also forwarded to the Presidential Administration. Moreover, Yabloko forwarded personal appeals to Maria Zakharova and other high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggesting that they should voluntary report on their income.

Here is the list of Foreign Ministry’s officials, who do not publish their income declarations.