Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday submitted a bill to the State Duma obliging state officials to declare major expenses and asked deputies to consider it swiftly.
“I am submitting the bill today. I ask United Russia to give their uninterrupted attention to the document,” the president said at a meeting with the party’s leadership.
The new requirements would not apply to all state employees, only to those holding “state appointments.”
The move is intended to fight spiraling corruption in Russia, which is a major shortcoming for the country’s business environment. Shortly after he assumed office in 2008, Medvedev declared the fight against corruption one of the cornerstones of his domestic policy and pledged to tighten anti-corruption laws.
“The bill should be considered and adopted in the nearest future,” Medvedev added.
Russia ranked 143rd out of 183 countries in the latest corruption perception index by Transparency International released in December, and was described as the world’s most corrupt major economy.