Ombudsman for entrepreneurs Boris Titov intends to report to President Putin about the increasing pressure on businesses, according to RBC with reference to the copy of the report, the business Ombudsman, the authenticity of which was certified by his representative. The report will be presented to the President roughly in the end of may.
The document says that last year was the most difficult for Russian business since the last of humanization of the criminal code, which was held under President Medvedev five years ago.
The number of cases of criminal prosecution of businessmen, which since 2008 has declined steadily in the past year grew by 20%. In particular, the maximum level reached and the number of detected economic crimes – including a quarter increase in the number of criminal cases initiated under article “fraud”, and two – thirds on tax charges.
Earlier, in his address to the Federal Assembly, Putin noted that most of the prosecutions for businessmen cases even reached court, at the same time, 80% of suspects according to the results of the investigation have lost their business.
However, despite repeated orders of the President and the government, the situation for business is in no way changed for the better, only tougher laws and decrees of the leadership actually are not executed, Titov emphasizes.
In this regard, the business Ombudsman intends to propose a package of amendments to the criminal and Criminal procedure codes, which will reduce the level of criminal prosecution of businessmen.
So, Boris Titov believes that some economic crimes of small and average weight (for example, under article 180, 194, 199 of the criminal code) for the first violation should not apply a criminal penalty, and to prosecute necessary “only in the case of repeated offence committed within a certain period of time after the first”.
It is also proposed to expand the list under article 76.1 of the criminal code (exemption from criminal liability in cases about crimes in sphere of economic activities) “economic offences” and to change the approach to compensation.
In addition, the report Titov proposed overall increase to three times the amount of damages, recognized as large or especially large, for crimes in the sphere of economic activity from the 220th Chapter of the criminal code and under article 146 (violation of copyright and related rights), 158 (theft), 159.1 (fraud in lending).
