News
- 19 February 2008, 18:31
- The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation
The General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation held an expanded meeting of the panel of the General Prosecutor's Office of Russian Federation.
The meeting was attended by Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Sergey Mironov, Chairman of the Russian Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin, Chairman of the Supreme Arbitration Court Anton Ivanov, the Chairman of the Accounting Chamber of the Russian Federation Sergei Stepashin, a number of heads of federal executive authorities, the Russian President’s authorized representatives in the federal districts, representatives of the President Administration, the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Russian Federation Security Council, as well as other invited guests.
The meeting discussed the results of the activities of the prosecution for the year 2007 and measures to improve the effectiveness of efforts to strengthen law and order.
We present to you the text of the statement of the Attorney General of the Russian Federation Juriy Chayka.
Dear Colleagues!
Adopted in recent years, political, social-economic, organizational and management measures have created a climate favorable for establishing a consistent principle of the rule of law in the life of society as fundamental properties of the state. In this regard, the activities of the prosecution have been subject to the tasks of the President of the Russian Federation Putin on All-Russian coordination meeting of heads of law enforcement bodies and of the Message to the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation.
Strengthening public positions, extensive reforms, global, national projects demanded from us the new quality of the Public Prosecution so that the human rights and the law-enforcement potential of prosecution could really contribute to the development of the country and its advance in all sectors. It was necessary to move from a simple formula "to detect and suppress" to a full legal monitoring in economic and social life as a whole Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation has always been a multifunctional body. In the Russian tradition a prosecutor is not just a prosecutor, his broader social purpose is "State d'affaires of legality".
And Prosecutor's Office now occupies a unique place in the system of the State. Prosecutors are the ones who carry out liaison with the representative and executive bodies of power, the institutions of civil society in contrast to other government agencies, accumulate varied information about the condition of the legislature itself and about the developing law enforcement practice. The prosecutor, like no one else on the basis of analysis of the work in the broadest legal field could first assess the status of regulatory acts (its shortcomings, inconsistency, privation) and in a timely manner submit proposals to governmental bodies.
Therefore, the oversight activities of the Public Prosecutor's Office has been largely subordinated to the problem of timely information and the representative bodies of executive power at all levels on the evolving law enforcement, the effectiveness of the controlling policy of the state, allowing to make the necessary adjustments in time, removing obstacles to the plans of the State, to solve problems comprehensively in the entire country’s legal space .
In order to improve the efficiency the main areas of work have been clarified and organizational structure of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation was upgraded.
We have to actively participate in the work of the Government of the Russian Federation, its commission on legislative activities, expanding cooperation with the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation: Prosecutors introduces materials and participates in discussing the annual report on the status of legislation of the Russian Federation, the federal prosecutor's office established an institute of senior officers on interaction with the representative and executive bodies of power. Dynamically developing constructive interaction with the Accounting Chamber, our colleagues enforcement unit.
The General Directorate for investigation supervision was created, directorate for oversight of investigation of particularly important cases at the central apparatus of the preliminary investigation bodies, for overseeing the operational and investigative activities and the inquest, for supervision of enforcement of law on countering corruption and the system of its units in the subjects of the Russian Federation.
As part of the process of improving the management of prosecutors in the transport and customs areas, in addition to the Moscow inter-regional transport prosecutor's office there was formed the East Siberian, Far East, West Siberian, Privolzhsk, North West, and South Ural transport prosecutor's office.
As the most important structural change one can consider the education system in the Prosecutors Investigations Committee of the General Procecutor’s office of the Russian Federation. The reorganization necessitated the mobilization efforts to prevent the decline in the investigators and ensure proper supervision of the prosecutor in the investigation of crimes. A whole set of necessary measures was performed, they are associated with the human, physical, procedural and other matters, necessary legal documents were promptly produced.
In order to train professional personnel for prosecutors’ offices, as well as improve skills of existing workers, provide institutional unity in the implementation of fundamental and popular practice of applied research in the field of strengthening the rule of law and fighting crime the Academy of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation was established. The Scientific and Research Institute, the Institute for Advanced Studies of leadership, Irkutsk and St. Petersburg legal institutions are all part of its structure. Interregional training centers were reconstituted on the basis of a number of entities of the Russian Federation Procecutor’s Offices.
These and other arrangements have significantly intensified oversight activities. In the past two years an increase of the efficiency of the prosecutors in overseeing the implementation of laws and legal acts of legitimacy has amounted to 30% annually, and in some branches of supervision even more.
Only in 2007, prosecutors identified more than 3 million 700 thousand violations of the law.
But numbers, however big they are, are the numbers. It is essential that the results of our work, are experienced by the people in their own lives. Therefore, you need to focus on the conceptual, basic directions. First of all - this constitutional legality, national projects, public property, budget, environment, or areas that affect human well-being, security and the interests of the state. Above all – we have to make community service a visible result of prosecutorial intervention.
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Now about specific areas of our business. Current law in the field of regional and municipal lawmaking can be assessed as stable. Those problems that appear are usually technical in nature and are solved in time. In 2007, as a result of acts of prosecutorial response there were brought into line with federal laws almost 2.5 thousand regional and about 116 thousand Municipal regulations.
Indicators are certainly high, but pale in comparison to what it was in previous years. Now they are largely attributable to a significant change in federal law in all spheres of legal relations and as a result the need to bring regional, municipal acts to the appropriate legal regime. Only the federal law "On the general principles of local self-government in the Russian Federation" from the time of adoption was modified 19 times, including 9 times - in 2007. The growing number of regulations to be adjusted was also influenced by a doubling of the number of municipalities - from 12 thousand up to 24 thousand.
These circumstances dictate not only the urgent need for a system of monitoring, but also practical participation of the law-prosecutors. Work should be concentrated on prevention, so that later we would not to have to launch nodes, formed as a result of an illegal act.
In most regions, prosecutors study the draft regulations, give opinions on them, participate in the discussion of legislative initiatives. Wherever they have the right of legislative initiative, this power is used to correct errors, and to form a complete legal framework. In the Bryansk and Kaluga regions, for example, prosecutors developed and representative bodies accepted a number of acts aimed at resolving pressing for the regions relations.
In this regard, our work has taken on systematic and ongoing nature, but nonetheless, the objective is still on the agenda - the prosecuting authorities are required to provide quality monitoring, regulatory activities of regional and municipal authorities to respond promptly to the illegal regulations and, most importantly, seek correcting violations still at the stage of their development and adoption, compel authorities to pass regulations prescribed by the federal law.
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In recent years, the State implemented large-scale strategic investments of financial and material resources in the economy and the social sphere. Given the importance of the work being done to oversee compliance in the implementation of national projects has been identified as one of the main priorities of the prosecutor's office.
For projects there must be a large number of regulatory legal acts of regional authorities, local self-governance, the absence of which makes it difficult, and sometimes hampers the work on them. Hence, the legal order guidance in this area has become a major challenge for all prosecutors.
By their initiative there were more than 6 thousand Regional and municipal acts brought into conformity with the legislation in force.
Attorney of republics of Adygeya, Dagestan, Karachayevo-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Territory and the Astrakhan region initiated adoption of local government acts that define the procedure and criteria for land allocating. In the Tula region - the law "On urban development activities in the Tula area." In Nizhny Novgorod - more than 200 acts in the area of land use and urban development, in Penza - 11 draft master plans and rules for land use and development. Actively pursued the job also the prosecutors of Vologda, Orenburg, Kirov, Kursk areas, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District.
At the suggestion of General Prosecutor's Office of Russian Federation there have been made changes in 2 statements of the Government of the Russian Federation.
Work on the implementation of priority national projects is not for one year. Therefore, in view of the importance and significance of the ongoing monitoring of the prosecutors in this area, the prosecution efforts should be aimed primarily at removing prosecutorial response measures, unnecessary administrative barriers and obstacles to their implementation. It should be borne in mind that the measures taken should be adequate to the situation.
However, some prosecutorial measures do not solve all problems. In our opinion, to improve the efficiency of the National projects implementation there must be simplification of participation by citizens and legal persons. In this regard, we intend to submit to the Government of the Russian Federation concrete proposals aimed at eliminating unnecessary administrative barriers.
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In preparation for the XXII Winter Olympic and Paraolympic Games XI in 2014 in Sochi President of the Russian Federation Putin assigned to us a task - to ensure the unconditional observance of the law, the preservation of budgetary funds allocated for the financing of the planned activities. General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, special services, the Ministry of Defense Russia established an interdepartmental working group to coordinate the activities of federal executive bodies in order to ensure security during the preparation for and holding of the Games, prevention of corruption, theft and misuse of funds allocated to these goals. Similar inter-ministerial working group was set up in the Krasnodar region prosecutor's office and Sochi. Close interaction with the Accounting Chamber of the Russian Federation has been achieved.
They have already started full-fledged work, outlined specific plans, and have begun to implement them. All necessary arrangements are conducted in collaboration with IAI "Olimpstroy".
Moreover, in the Krasnodar region, the prosecutor's office established a special office to oversee the enforcement of legislation in preparation for the Olympic Games with dislocation in Sochi. There was established South transport prosecutor's office, exercising oversight over the implementation of legislation aimed at ensuring the security of transport infrastructure facilities at Sochi, and to oversee the implementation of environmental legislation in the region - the Azov-Black Sea Environmental Prosecutor's Office.
Systematic analysis of the state of the law in activities related to the preparation and holding of the Olympics; timely detection and suppression of violations of the law, using the entire range of powers; constant and systematic oversight of the budget execution, land, environment, town planning legislation against terrorism and extremism; to ensure strict compliance with the rights of citizens - guidelines for deployment of large-scale work, and it must be conducted in a professional manner.
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Dear Colleagues! You all know about the meeting of the Security Council held on January 30 and dedicated to the issues of environmental safety. By definition given by the President of Russia V. Putin speaking at the meeting, environmental safety is a topic of national interest.
Therefore, prosecutors environment protection activity is becoming more and more important.
Prosecutors get a lot done, the effectiveness of Public Prosecutions in recent years has grown at times (and it was expressed in the report to the Security Council), just last year - by 50%.
The bodies of the Public Prosecutor's Office established a system of legal monitoring in the environmental area, especially in disadvantaged regions. The structure of the General Prosecutor's Office established a special department, which aims to supervise the enforcement of legislation in the area of nature management and environmental protection. A particularly important role in addressing environmental issues is played by a specialized environmental prosecutor's office, a system which we have expanded significantly by increasing their number.
In the past two years, the General Prosecutor's Office has established close and constructive cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources, we organized a joint comprehensive approach to addressing environmental problems. For the first time there was introduced a new form of work - a joint meeting of boards of the General Prosecutor's Office and Ministry. At one of the meetings of a series of effective measures was developed in order to ensure environmental safety in the area of mining enterprises of the Oil and Gas Production Complex. And such joint work, we will continue. At the same time, we do not have to simply record from year to year the same violations that had not previously been addressed by regulatory authorities.
Only real work, effective verification system to monitor the situation in environmentally disadvantaged regions, adopting timely measures will enable us to achieve success. As President of Russia Putin at the meeting of the State Council, talk, and therefore the case should be fought in the "offensive and practical vein… show environmental work at the system level," the daily duties.
It was said to all of us.
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For Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation ensuring the constitutional rights and freedoms of individuals has always been one of the key tasks solvable at all of its multifaceted activities.
Our main efforts were directed at the legal order established in the social sphere. Especially when most of our citizens feel unprotected.
In the center of attention were issues of health, pensions, the rights of veterans and the disabled, wages and ensuring its safe environment, respect of the residential rights of citizens and functioning of the housing and communal system.
In many respects thanks to the active work of prosecutors we managed to achieve a qualitative change in the situation arisen in 2007 to provide preferential categories of citizens with medicines.
Until two years ago, the situation with non-payment of wages was really tense. As of January 1, 2005, total debt amounted to more than 12 billion. Problems related to the non-payment of wages involved half a million citizens, that is, in fact, the twentieth of each employee.
In no small measure due to efficient organization of the prosecutors, as well as a range of effective oversight activities have greatly improved the situation in the area of wages. For 2 years, 180 thousand prosecutors inspections were conducted. At the initiative of prosecutors more than 2 thousand criminal offences relating to the non-payment of wages were filed. To administrative responsibility were attracted 64 thousand people, about 30 thousand -- brought to disciplinary liability. In the interests of workers almost 900 thousand applications were submitted to courts.
As a result of focused and hard work of prosecutors in this area total debt declined by 78% and amounted to 1 January 2008, just over 2 billion This figure was the lowest in the past few years. In addition, according to official statistics, the number dropped to half of debtor companies. Nevertheless, the work in this area should remain under control. Every citizen must obtain in a timely manner that he earned by his own work.
Last year an acute problem affecting many citizens were violations in the area of consumer lending. That - and illegal commercial banks charging commissions of various types of citizens when issuing loans, and did not provide complete and accurate information on the conditions of lending. A number of commercial banks actually made the imposition of additional fee-based services to consumers, which caused extensive material damage to citizens. As a result of measures taken by prosecutors banks lifted illegal commissions, halted the practice of divestiture requirements on the citizens, clients and restructured debt cancelled decal fee payments and penalties, increased transparency of credit. In so doing, the rights of tens of thousands of civilians were restored.
The difficult situation arisen in 2006-2007 in the housing market, have also not been left without interference of prosecutors. Public prosecutors managed to take control of the activities of concerned construction companies, to develop a careful approach to the consideration of applications of the deceived citizens - housing equity participants. In order to eliminate social tension in the area of housing and the protection of the rights of legitimate interests of this category of citizens effective measures were taken to remove artificially created obstacles in the construction of apartment buildings, including excessive administrative barriers and delays on the part of those responsible for processing permits. The bodies of power at the request of prosecutors set up working groups comprising representatives of regulatory bodies, investors, developers and interest-holders that will eventually restore the violated rightd of a large number of citizens. In Tambov area as a result of the work of the interdepartmental commission the financial losses of 264 investors of the camaraderie Social Initiative "and the company" were indemnified. In Tula region investor rights and responsibilities of the association for the construction of residential homes transferred to the new investor who arranged payment to the affected investors. Only in the Central Federal District dozens of fraudsters in the housing market have been convicted.
But challenges still remain, and they must be dealt with together with the executive authorities of the regions and local government.
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In protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, the most important point of the prosecution is to work with their applications. At the same time, special attention is being given by us to restoring violated rights of the poor. The number of complaints received from the public, grows annually. Only in 2007, prosecutors resolved more than 1.4 million applications, out of them nearly 260 thousand were satisfied, more than 1 million people were received by prosecutors in person.
Such a huge number of appeals demonstrates the credibility of the prosecuting authorities. For many citizens prosecutors remain the body in which an applicant can get not only real and effective protection of their rights, but also qualified free legal assistance.
In 2005, for the implementation of the state policy of providing free legal aid to the population of the Government of Russia by the initiative of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation as an experiment in 10 regions of Russia were open government legal offices. They proved its relevance and effectiveness and, in our view, it is now necessary to further develop the system. Poor citizens should receive free legal assistance not only in the prosecutor's office. However, as it turned out, in our country there is a different experience in providing legal services to the population. Students and teachers of the law faculties of St. Petersburg, Moscow and the Nizhny Novgorod university are to receive citizens and provide free qualified legal assistance, which allows both to strengthen the protection of the rights and freedoms of the people and improve students' practical training. The initiator of the project is the Justice faculty of the St. Petersburg State University, where work began in 1998. Students are allowed to work under the supervision of teachers after a special course aimed at the acquisition of practical skills that are basic to all specialized lawyers. The provision of legal services to the population belongs to a mandatory training program for students.
We think this is a serious asset in the work with the citizens and we intend to support this practice by all means. General Prosecutor's Office is taking measures to organize joint work with educational institutions in this regard in all regions of the country. In St. Petersburg State University signed an agreement on cooperation and collaboration in the organization of a joint reception of citizens, as well as providing practical assistance in the preparation of students.
We have approached the Government of the Russian Federation and the Minister of Education and Science with the proposal to extend this experience to other universities in the country, as well as to consolidate in the federal public educational standard - to teach techniques of legal advice. That found full support. So, before you all there is a task to develop constructive cooperation in this regard with universities located in your regions.
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Since 90-s in the country crime had increased from year to year. For many years there was a steady increase in serious and especially serious crimes, including murders and grievous bodily harm, organized crime, crime in drug trafficking. Disclosure has been steadily low, the delay in investigation of crimes caused the violation of citizens' rights to justice.
The Prosecutor's Office in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies, especially the Ministry of Internal Affairs, took a series of measures aimed at changing the situation in the situation for many years. Thoroughly researched and analyzed is the situation in all federal districts, there are meetings with the Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs. Setting most pressing tasks, encauraging leaders, prosecutors and law enforcement officials to focus on the work, implementing preventive measures – all of that yielded positive results.
For the first time in the last 5 years, the number of reported crimes did not simply slow the rate of growth, but fell by 7%. The number of violent crimes, including murders (19%), intentional infliction of serious bodily injury dropped.
At the same time, in order to counter the real crime alone it is not sufficient to achieve reduction in the number of crimes. The proportion of crimes that remained unsolved, though declined somewhat, but continues to constitute almost half of the total. In 2007, from 3 million 580 thousand crimes recorded more than 1 million 800 thousand not disclosed. Among them - nearly half are the most serious and grave ones, including Each seventh murder (15%).
The main job of prosecutors - through coordination of the fight against crime - to demand from all law enforcement agencies compliance with law requirements on investigating and disclosing crimes, the real implementation of the basic principle of justice - the inevitability of punishment. In many ways the situation with inability to obtain crimes attributed to ongoing operational and investigative work - it is not sufficiently beneficial, it is low level and does not correspond to the magnitude of crime. The operational way discloses only a third of crimes. Analysis of the implementation of operational and investigative activities by the authorized bodies shows that breaches of the law in this work are typical and widespread. Of the 400 thousand cases the prosecutors identified violations in each fourth case.
Suits are filed with violations relating to timing, plans are of a formal nature, documents drawn up late, work on the collection and analysis of information is ineffective, the results of the investigation are submitted to the authorities in violation of the established procedure. Appropriate control by the leaders is absent.
It should not be forgotten that almost 240 thousand persons fled from the inquiry, investigation and trial, and has not yet been found. Every fifth killer escaped justice, more than half of the people who committed intentional inflictions of serious bodily injury also escaped. Our task to search for offenders was real, and not on paper.
Analysis of crime in the country, and identified data on the remaining unsolved crimes, the number of operations show not only lack of impact of operational units, but also the shortcomings in the oversight of prosecutors.
This situation is our fault too. For a long time this area was dealt with only from time to time, there was no smooth organization of the work. Effective measures, including joint ventures with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were not taken. Possible coordination activities were not fully utilized.
Therefore, I ask you to set the proper guidance in this area. Prosecutors’ activities should equally contribute both to securing the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, and the tasks of operational and investigative activities in the fight against crime.
As a result of our collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs the number of concealed crimes dropped by more than 10 thousand. Nevertheless, the situation is still far from perfect - in the past year more than1 million 800 thousand violations of the law in receiving, registering and reviewing reports of crimes were discovered.
We must take a principled stand on this issue, not lowering the level of requirements for compliance with the law. Influence on the state of crime can only be exerted by daily operational and investigative work, rather than manipulation of statistics.
Analysis of the investigative work has shown that for many year in the past the most problematic area was invetigation of MIA Russia, in the last two years there have been objectively serious improvement, a growing number of cases have been completed, improvement of the quality of investigations, time reduction for investigation. This is largely the result of close interaction between prosecutors and Investigations Committee. Moreover, and now despite significant changes in the Criminal Procedure Act, thanks to the constructive position of leadership of the Investigations Committee at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the relationship between investigators and prosecutors, little has changed, we are still working in the same vein, in order to achieve the main goal - incriminating criminals in the strictest rule of law.
However, the investigating staff of the internal affairs bodies have enough problems. In fact, it is overloaded with criminal cases on crimes small and moderate whose share exceeds 70%. Pursuant to the Mandate of the President of the Russian Federation and the decision of the All-Russian coordination meeting of heads of law enforcement bodies to amend the criminal procedure law imposing procedural abbreviated procedure for preliminary investigation and trial of criminal cases of apparent crimes of small and medium gravity that are of no great difficulty in the investigation, and redistribute jurisdiction between the preliminary investigation bodies and bodies of inquiry.
So I do not understand the discussion, launched primarily by the media, as to whether the inquiry must be reformed or not. There can be no discussions here. It is necessary to carry out the instructions of the President of Russia Putin and the All-Russian coordination meeting, which we all approved.
Investigators at the Public Prosecution’s Office have always been a priority activity. The main objective, which was intended in 2007, was to raise the quality and efficiency of the investigation of crimes. Something in that direction that we have been able to do.
Prior to the establishment of the Investigation Committee of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation during the first 8 months of last year we witnessed major developments in the investigation work - the number of terminated cases has fallen by 37% , by 23% - in violation of the period investigated, 25% - returned for further investigation, by 22 % decreased the remainder of uncompleted cases.
Thanks to the measures taken jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia a number of murders was disclosed, which caused a wide public resonance, a number of complicated economic crime cases was completed, including on raid and legalization of proceeds from crime.
Therefore, we rightfully expect that with a new organization of work the achieved positive dynamics will be further enhanced. In summarizing the work of the committee on January 30 this year, we get a good constructive conversation, which evaluated the results of the work, critical analysis of existing problems and set targets for them.
However, there are certain incidents that cause us concern. First of all, the fact that few criminal cases are brought to the prosecutors overall inspections. Out nearly 11 thousand such inspections, the vast majority of which are sent to the Investigation Committee for initiating a criminal case, unfortunately, only 2700 suits were filed.
At the same time, these materials - the result of deep and painstaking inspections conducted with the participation of specialists, with a large volume of documents. The main task of prosecution authorities, prosecutors and investigators - identification and investigation of the complex economic crimes, crimes committed by officials, relating to corruption and causing extensive damage and infringement on the security of the state. It is this component, as a rule, that is contained in the materials. For comparison: in 2006 – based on international materials there were initiated almost 24 thousand criminal cases in the first half of last year - more than 15 thousand and, as a rule, they are brought to court. v
Public prosecutors along with the leaders of the investigative units need to understand the causes of the situation. What is it - poorly conducted verification and prepared materials, or lack of training of investigators?
We are concerned about the quality of investigation. In connection with the investigation for the production of substandard further investigation for the first 5 months over 1600 criminal cases were returned to prosecutors. This is more than in the whole of 2006. And, for example, in the province Kamchatski an indictment for each third case was not signed. There are other flaws that I have already mentioned. I, together with the leadership of the Investigations Committee will be working on getting it fixed.
So now emerging problems must be carefully analyzed and actions to resolve them must be taken promptly. Phase formation committee completed its work and should develop dynamically. That's exactly what society expects, and there are all possibilities, and there is not much time to get ourselves moving.
Only last week there was a wave of murders. Attorney of the Saratov region Grigoriev and the head of Lyul'ka settlement in Moscow were killed, the Moscow Region board attorney Belyayev, the head of the Moscow Guild of markets and fairs Chivilihin, before that - the Russian leader of Phonographic Association Botnaryuk.
This should be seen as a direct challenge to the law-enforcement system. All - and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Investigations Committee, and prosecutors should adequately respond to it. These crimes must be disclosed, and those who are responsible - held accountable. There is a need to collectively review the criminological reasons for the surge, and to develop appropriate measures to counter them. We must prove their own professional viability.
I would like to draw the attention of all those present - in the recent past, unfortunately, there’s been an exaggerated issue of the alleged competition between the Prosecutor's Office and the Investigations Committee. There is no competition and cannot be, but there are common public challenges that each of the bodies solves in the uniform system of the prosecutors of Russian Federation.
Since the establishment of the Investigation Committee, most significant assistance has been provided to it by prosecutors. And the Prosecutor General's Office and prosecutors at all levels have done a lot to set up the committee, solve all organizational matters. Prosecutors in various places correctly took on the challenge to assist professional activities of investigators. We will continue to do so. Creating an efficient committee for investigation in strict, and I emphasize strict compliance with the law, in the Russian prosecutor's office - that is how we understand the objective, set before us by the leadership of the country. And no insinuations will make us back off. No difference in the functions or powers should not overshadow the main - common goals and shared responsibility for achieving concrete results in the work for the strict observance of the rights and guarantees of people involved in criminal proceedings.
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Now - on the types of crimes that have a special place in the present stage of development of society, which in the first place should be brought to your attention. First of all - economic crime and the closely related organized crime. Weak law enforcement in the early decades of involvement of the criminal economy, dissonant system of legislation, all of this has created unprecedented conditions for the criminalization of entire sectors of the economy of our country.
Those spheres of the economy, that yielded and still yield the highest profit, attract organized crime. That and the fuel and energy complex, and production of biological water resources and forest management. All of these have been carefully reviewed by the prosecutor's office, and as a result a number of joint coordination activities unified strategy for interaction between law enforcement agencies has been elaborated. It is supposed to prevent, detect, suppress, investigate and disclose various economic crimes.
So, as a result of coordinated efforts of the prosecution and law enforcement agencies and Privolzhsky Ural federal districts a significant number of crimes in the of fuel and energy complex are uncovered annually, including those committed by organized criminal groups.
In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation to the General Prosecutor's Office and the Russian Federation a well Interdepartmental Working Group was established and successfully operate counteracting crimes in the economic area, with the participation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, FNS Russia, the Federal Security Service of Russia, Rosfinmonitoringa and the Bank of Russia.
A new structure of work in this area has improved the coordination and cooperation of law enforcement agencies and the Bank of Russia in this area, that immediately resulted in its revitalization. There is a more than 2-fold increase in detection of crimes related to the manufacture or sale of counterfeit credit and settlement cards and other payment instruments.
As joint actions by 4 times has grown the number of detected crimes related to the laundering of criminal proceeds. More than 50 criminal cases were filed based on the facts of illegal business, evading taxes, opening bank accounts with false documents and money are cashing in especially large amounts.
You must use positive experience gained in the central apparatus, and organize work in this area in the same manner and with the same efficiency.
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The problem of corruption as a real threat to economic and social stability of the country as early as the year 2006 was stressed by President of the Russian Federation in his Speech to the Federal Assembly.
At the same time, anti-corruption has been identified by us as a priority. Plans have been identified, approved strategy of the prosecution work, identified new concept approaches to the organization of Public Prosecutions. And in 2007 a full-scale implementation of a set of measures designed started.
However, the practice has shown the need to focus on this acute station work. In connection with this a specialized office was established to oversee the enforcement of the law on countering corruption.
In prosecution subjects of the Russian Federation and similar special prosecutor's office formed special divisions. Thus, there was established a vertical capable of preventing corruption offences, identify and eliminate their causes and generating conditions.
For the first time a layer of problems was raised. They are connected with compliance with legislation on the part of public officials and community service. Almost anywhere where inspections were conducted, there were established facts of the public servants involved in the illegal business, and holding shares and paid positions in the economic structures, and simply not presenting declarations prescribed by law. As a result, at the request of prosecutors over 100 thousand people were forced to set their affairs straight.
In the near future on the official website of Russia's General Prosecutor's Office there is going to be a special section on the work of the prosecution to counter corruption. Any citizen will be able to sibmit their application there, and it will be carefully reviewed and verified. However, a serious adjustment requires organization activities of all law enforcement agencies in the fight against corruption offences. Last year the number of reported crimes against public service and the service of local governments in Russia dropped by 2.9%.
This situation doesn’t agree with the reality even with the high latency of these crimes. There is a need for high quality and efficient work of all law enforcement agencies in this regard. There is a need to reassess the criteria for the effectiveness of the anticorruption, it should be aimed at identifying systemic corruption schemes and mechanisms, which lead to corruption in various spheres of relations. And the prosecutors must take their [lace as coordinators of the fight against crime.
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In recent years, law enforcement authorities have achieved some positive results in efforts to identify and suppress incidents of extremism. This work is becoming more efficient. Between law enforcement and regulatory authorities there is an increasing exchange of operational information that allows for timely and adequate response to the identified violations of the law. There is a constantl accumulation of experience and improvement of investigation of criminal cases involving various kinds of extremist manifestations.
These we consider as preventive measures. Acute response to the facts of extremism would prevent the commission of more serious and dangerous crimes, particularly terrorist acts.
In the past year, 759 crimes of a terrorist nature were registered, of them 661 – ended in investigating criminal cases. Their disclosure was more than 90%.
The trend of reducing the number of terrorist acts in the country has gained momentum. In the past year, their recorded number totaled 48 (-57%). For comparison (2003 - 561, 2004 - 277 2005 – 205, 2006 - 112).
This is largely connected with federal authorities’ measures aimed at stabilizing the situation, coordinating the activities of law enforcement officials; more professional and consistent law enforcement actions.
But one shouldn’t have illusions and believe that everything has been done, the work should continue in the same intense manner.
Besides, we do have problems.
One of the main problems - identification and s of the financing of terrorists. Despite the large amount of work done, the results are minimal. In 2007, no one accountable for the crime was prosecuted.
Therefore, this trend should be a priority in the work of all the law enforcement agencies, especially external sources of financing of terrorist activities: funds provided under the guise of humanitarian aid, investment in education, establishment of religious institutions, as well as financial support from various kinds of extremist organizations. Here, we need real concrete results. Criminal groups exist, and therefore they need funding. Cutting of their financing channels - the most important task for all of us.
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Serious challenges face military prosecutors. Over the past year, they have done a great deal to oversee reforms in the Armed Forces. I will stress 3 major problems for us to concentrate to concentrate on.
The first - the legitimacy of material and financial spending and the use of military equipment and weapons. While the number of theft and malfeasance declined slightly, the amount of damage increased by half. Therefore, the prosecutors’ job is to have the military authorities manage, control and audit bodies to ensure the legality regime for the use of funds allocated to the army.
The second challenge is to ensure order among the troops. The decrease in criminal manifestations of this area - no reason to minimize the work. It must continue in the system hard way.
And the third one – the State made an unprecedented effort to provide the military personnel with housing. The Government of Russia proposed that the armed forces be subject to the national project "Affordable and comfortable housing for citizens of Russia". Your mission - to organize a quality prosecution support in terms of securing its implementation.
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As for transport prosecutors, their first priority is to ensure compliance with the law in the area of transport security. Problems accumulated here over the years, and even the State’s measures taken now cannot solve them all at once, and there are no small matters here. And the second - the legislation on foreign economic activities and its participants and the customs authorities. Violation in this area result in multi-billlion damages, and that requires the most careful attention of prosecutors.
Transport prosecutors offices were reconstituted not too long ago, so it is necessary to make a comprehensive analysis of the state of law, determine priorities in this work. And practical help in the unit need centralized administration.
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The Attorney General's Office of Russian Federation significantly intensified international cooperation with the competent authorities of foreign countries in the area of extradition of suspects for prosecution, legal assistance in criminal matters, establishment of the legal and regulatory framework for interaction ofprosecutors and investigators with the relevant authorities of foreign countries and international organizations.
We see that there is not only increasing intensity, but also the effectiveness of this cooperation. More requests for extradition are sent, by more than a quarter has grown the number of persons extradited to us by foreign countries. We have been able to ensure extradition of suspects in a number of "big" cases (for example, Zakharov accused of organizing and committing murder of the governor of the Magadan region).
General Prosecutor’s Office of Russian Federation also granted more foreign requests for extradition. There is an obvious positive trend of reducing the timing of their consideration. By more than 15 times has dropped the number of persons held in custody over 6 months, pending a decision on the request for extradition. None of the 176 court rulings appealed to the court and relating to extradition of persons from the Russian Federation in foreign countries has been cancelled. There ia a well-developed collaboration with the investigating authorities in several countries to join efforts to investigate criminal cases on the facts of legalizing criminal funds by the same people. We believe that improving the international coordination of the investigation of many crimes will facilitate the conclusion of an agreement on cooperation between the Russian Federation and Eurojust - a specialized body of the European Union in the field of legal assistance. We expect to finalize the contract this year.
Within framework of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Commission of the European Communities and the Council of Europe there is dynamically developing interaction of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Academy of the General Directorate of Human Rights of the Council of Europe in the organization and operation of schools of training and skills development prosecutorial staff.
In our view, to better protect the rights and legitimate interests of Russia, its citizens and organizations must drastically expand the namber of states that have a contractual relationship. In 2007 the Prosecutor General's Office concluded 13 agreements and other acts with the competent bodies of foreign states relating to cooperation in the area of criminal justice.
Significantly, in the period from 1992 to 2005, the Prosecutor General's Offic prepared and concluded 21 agreements of this kind. There is also a need to expand the geography of international cooperation using the existing international instruments.
The proposals of General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia were approved by the President of the Russian Federation Putin, and I think that their implementation will significantly strengthen our position in the international arena.
Finally on this subject. Europe is beginning to actively use our experience. The Council of Europe considers it a priority to study and share experience that we had earlier, to oversee the consequence of recent changes to the law.
In July this year, together with the Council of Europe in St. Petersburg a high-profile conference will be held on the issues of prosecutorial protection of human rights, including outside the scope of criminal law. The European Council’s Secretary General Terry Davis will take part in the conference.
Consideration of this important topic was initiated by the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation within the framework of the Consultative Council of European prosecutors, who this fall must submit to the Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe recommendations on the use of positive prosecutorial experience, especially Russia.
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In 2007, the most important socio-political event for the country was the election of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
Even in the report on the results of the prosecutor's office work in 2006 all prosecutors were assigned a task to avoid provocation and destabilization of the situation in the pre-election period and during the elections. The preparations for the electoral campaigns for the elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation and the election of the President of the Russian Federation, the prosecutor's office began early. The performed that work on a system basis during the whole last year.
In November 2007, just before the elections themselves, we held a brief meeting, where we discussed the work of prosecutors in the run-up to elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation. This enabled us to identify major concerns and acute problems that formed the basis for formulating appropriate and effective solutions.
As a result this approach allowed us to minimize violations of election laws. Identified violations were minor and tend to be technical in nature and do not prevent the expression of the will of citizens.
The work aimed at protecting the electoral rights of citizens continues today. In anticipation of the election of the President of the Russian Federation all prosecutors were given key priorities: to verify compliance with the electoral laws, legislation on inter-ethnic relations, activities of non-profit and religious organizations, including educational, compliance with legislation on processions and rallies. In addition, to take effective measures for their completion. Most importantly, prosecutors must suppress any attempts of manifestations of religious and political extremism.
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One of the major conditions that affect the decision-scale tasks assigned to the Prosecutor's Office leadership of the country - effective organization of personnel work. This year we have transferred a large number of investigators and criminalists to the Investigations Committee, a few prosecutors, exercising oversight of the investigation. In the vast majority of regions and districts heads of investigative agencies and offices are deputy prosecutors, that were in reserve to be nominated for the positions of prosecutors.
Nevertheless, the situation with the prosecution of personnel has remained stable. We had a large reserve, which allowed us to renew the staff fast enough. Over the past year, 49 employees of the prosecution were awarded state awards, 91 - vacant titles of state councilor of justice. In assessing the state of discipline in the prosecution bodies we can conclud that the leaders generally took a principled stand against the violators of service discipline, the persons who committed the offences tarnishing the honour of a prosecutorial worker.
During the year, more than 3 thousand people were brought to disciplinary liability, for breach of oath of prosecutor were dismissed from their posts and expelled from the prosecution bodies of cities and regions - 9 city and district prosecutors and 1 Regional Deputy Attorney, 31 employees of the prosecution brought to administrative responsibility and 22 to the criminal justice.
We will continue to vigorously fight for the purity of our ranks, scrutinize each candidate for appointment to the position in accordance with requirements of the law applying to prosecution workers.
As I said, with the establishment of the Investigations Committee, it took a large number of employees in reserve for the nomination to senior offices. This, as well as the growing number of younger people among the personnel of the prosecution in recent years, requires serious attention to the problems of training and education of staff, especially young professionals. We should work to expand the training and qualification, to revive the Institute of mentoring.
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Staff work has another very important component - the material and social welfare of the personnel. In order to improve working conditions half a billion rubles have been invested in development. 12 facilities havce been put into operation, 13 buildings purchased, the construction of 17 facilities commenced. More than 400 cars have been purchased.
455 apartments were purchased for prosecutors.I would like to stress that extra medical assistance have been provided for them and their families totaling more than 100 million rubles.
We will pay the utmost attention to this area. Our principle is as follows - creating decent working conditions and social protection for the people, to hold them accountable for their work. This year our funding increased: for capital construction - more than by third, and for the purchase of housing for employees – by 2 times. And finally, I want to thank all the attorneys for their intense, teamwork and professionalism in the way of solving the basic objectives of the prosecution.
I am confident that the existing potential of efficient and competent professionals will allow to honorably solve all new, even more complex, multifaceted challenges facing prosecutors.
The Prosecutor General's Office
of the Russian Federation
The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation
19 February 2008, 18:31
About Expanded board meeting of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation
The General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation held an expanded meeting of the panel of the General Prosecutor's Office of Russian Federation.
The meeting was attended by Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Sergey Mironov, Chairman of the Russian Constitutional Court Valery Zorkin, Chairman of the Supreme Arbitration Court Anton Ivanov, the Chairman of the Accounting Chamber of the Russian Federation Sergei Stepashin, a number of heads of federal executive authorities, the Russian President’s authorized representatives in the federal districts, representatives of the President Administration, the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Russian Federation Security Council, as well as other invited guests.
The meeting discussed the results of the activities of the prosecution for the year 2007 and measures to improve the effectiveness of efforts to strengthen law and order.
We present to you the text of the statement of the Attorney General of the Russian Federation Juriy Chayka.
Dear Colleagues!
Adopted in recent years, political, social-economic, organizational and management measures have created a climate favorable for establishing a consistent principle of the rule of law in the life of society as fundamental properties of the state. In this regard, the activities of the prosecution have been subject to the tasks of the President of the Russian Federation Putin on All-Russian coordination meeting of heads of law enforcement bodies and of the Message to the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation.
Strengthening public positions, extensive reforms, global, national projects demanded from us the new quality of the Public Prosecution so that the human rights and the law-enforcement potential of prosecution could really contribute to the development of the country and its advance in all sectors. It was necessary to move from a simple formula "to detect and suppress" to a full legal monitoring in economic and social life as a whole Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation has always been a multifunctional body. In the Russian tradition a prosecutor is not just a prosecutor, his broader social purpose is "State d'affaires of legality".
And Prosecutor's Office now occupies a unique place in the system of the State. Prosecutors are the ones who carry out liaison with the representative and executive bodies of power, the institutions of civil society in contrast to other government agencies, accumulate varied information about the condition of the legislature itself and about the developing law enforcement practice. The prosecutor, like no one else on the basis of analysis of the work in the broadest legal field could first assess the status of regulatory acts (its shortcomings, inconsistency, privation) and in a timely manner submit proposals to governmental bodies.
Therefore, the oversight activities of the Public Prosecutor's Office has been largely subordinated to the problem of timely information and the representative bodies of executive power at all levels on the evolving law enforcement, the effectiveness of the controlling policy of the state, allowing to make the necessary adjustments in time, removing obstacles to the plans of the State, to solve problems comprehensively in the entire country’s legal space .
In order to improve the efficiency the main areas of work have been clarified and organizational structure of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation was upgraded.
We have to actively participate in the work of the Government of the Russian Federation, its commission on legislative activities, expanding cooperation with the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation: Prosecutors introduces materials and participates in discussing the annual report on the status of legislation of the Russian Federation, the federal prosecutor's office established an institute of senior officers on interaction with the representative and executive bodies of power. Dynamically developing constructive interaction with the Accounting Chamber, our colleagues enforcement unit.
The General Directorate for investigation supervision was created, directorate for oversight of investigation of particularly important cases at the central apparatus of the preliminary investigation bodies, for overseeing the operational and investigative activities and the inquest, for supervision of enforcement of law on countering corruption and the system of its units in the subjects of the Russian Federation.
As part of the process of improving the management of prosecutors in the transport and customs areas, in addition to the Moscow inter-regional transport prosecutor's office there was formed the East Siberian, Far East, West Siberian, Privolzhsk, North West, and South Ural transport prosecutor's office.
As the most important structural change one can consider the education system in the Prosecutors Investigations Committee of the General Procecutor’s office of the Russian Federation. The reorganization necessitated the mobilization efforts to prevent the decline in the investigators and ensure proper supervision of the prosecutor in the investigation of crimes. A whole set of necessary measures was performed, they are associated with the human, physical, procedural and other matters, necessary legal documents were promptly produced.
In order to train professional personnel for prosecutors’ offices, as well as improve skills of existing workers, provide institutional unity in the implementation of fundamental and popular practice of applied research in the field of strengthening the rule of law and fighting crime the Academy of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation was established. The Scientific and Research Institute, the Institute for Advanced Studies of leadership, Irkutsk and St. Petersburg legal institutions are all part of its structure. Interregional training centers were reconstituted on the basis of a number of entities of the Russian Federation Procecutor’s Offices.
These and other arrangements have significantly intensified oversight activities. In the past two years an increase of the efficiency of the prosecutors in overseeing the implementation of laws and legal acts of legitimacy has amounted to 30% annually, and in some branches of supervision even more.
Only in 2007, prosecutors identified more than 3 million 700 thousand violations of the law.
But numbers, however big they are, are the numbers. It is essential that the results of our work, are experienced by the people in their own lives. Therefore, you need to focus on the conceptual, basic directions. First of all - this constitutional legality, national projects, public property, budget, environment, or areas that affect human well-being, security and the interests of the state. Above all – we have to make community service a visible result of prosecutorial intervention.
***
Now about specific areas of our business. Current law in the field of regional and municipal lawmaking can be assessed as stable. Those problems that appear are usually technical in nature and are solved in time. In 2007, as a result of acts of prosecutorial response there were brought into line with federal laws almost 2.5 thousand regional and about 116 thousand Municipal regulations.
Indicators are certainly high, but pale in comparison to what it was in previous years. Now they are largely attributable to a significant change in federal law in all spheres of legal relations and as a result the need to bring regional, municipal acts to the appropriate legal regime. Only the federal law "On the general principles of local self-government in the Russian Federation" from the time of adoption was modified 19 times, including 9 times - in 2007. The growing number of regulations to be adjusted was also influenced by a doubling of the number of municipalities - from 12 thousand up to 24 thousand.
These circumstances dictate not only the urgent need for a system of monitoring, but also practical participation of the law-prosecutors. Work should be concentrated on prevention, so that later we would not to have to launch nodes, formed as a result of an illegal act.
In most regions, prosecutors study the draft regulations, give opinions on them, participate in the discussion of legislative initiatives. Wherever they have the right of legislative initiative, this power is used to correct errors, and to form a complete legal framework. In the Bryansk and Kaluga regions, for example, prosecutors developed and representative bodies accepted a number of acts aimed at resolving pressing for the regions relations.
In this regard, our work has taken on systematic and ongoing nature, but nonetheless, the objective is still on the agenda - the prosecuting authorities are required to provide quality monitoring, regulatory activities of regional and municipal authorities to respond promptly to the illegal regulations and, most importantly, seek correcting violations still at the stage of their development and adoption, compel authorities to pass regulations prescribed by the federal law.
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In recent years, the State implemented large-scale strategic investments of financial and material resources in the economy and the social sphere. Given the importance of the work being done to oversee compliance in the implementation of national projects has been identified as one of the main priorities of the prosecutor's office.
For projects there must be a large number of regulatory legal acts of regional authorities, local self-governance, the absence of which makes it difficult, and sometimes hampers the work on them. Hence, the legal order guidance in this area has become a major challenge for all prosecutors.
By their initiative there were more than 6 thousand Regional and municipal acts brought into conformity with the legislation in force.
Attorney of republics of Adygeya, Dagestan, Karachayevo-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Territory and the Astrakhan region initiated adoption of local government acts that define the procedure and criteria for land allocating. In the Tula region - the law "On urban development activities in the Tula area." In Nizhny Novgorod - more than 200 acts in the area of land use and urban development, in Penza - 11 draft master plans and rules for land use and development. Actively pursued the job also the prosecutors of Vologda, Orenburg, Kirov, Kursk areas, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District.
At the suggestion of General Prosecutor's Office of Russian Federation there have been made changes in 2 statements of the Government of the Russian Federation.
Work on the implementation of priority national projects is not for one year. Therefore, in view of the importance and significance of the ongoing monitoring of the prosecutors in this area, the prosecution efforts should be aimed primarily at removing prosecutorial response measures, unnecessary administrative barriers and obstacles to their implementation. It should be borne in mind that the measures taken should be adequate to the situation.
However, some prosecutorial measures do not solve all problems. In our opinion, to improve the efficiency of the National projects implementation there must be simplification of participation by citizens and legal persons. In this regard, we intend to submit to the Government of the Russian Federation concrete proposals aimed at eliminating unnecessary administrative barriers.
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In preparation for the XXII Winter Olympic and Paraolympic Games XI in 2014 in Sochi President of the Russian Federation Putin assigned to us a task - to ensure the unconditional observance of the law, the preservation of budgetary funds allocated for the financing of the planned activities. General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, special services, the Ministry of Defense Russia established an interdepartmental working group to coordinate the activities of federal executive bodies in order to ensure security during the preparation for and holding of the Games, prevention of corruption, theft and misuse of funds allocated to these goals. Similar inter-ministerial working group was set up in the Krasnodar region prosecutor's office and Sochi. Close interaction with the Accounting Chamber of the Russian Federation has been achieved.
They have already started full-fledged work, outlined specific plans, and have begun to implement them. All necessary arrangements are conducted in collaboration with IAI "Olimpstroy".
Moreover, in the Krasnodar region, the prosecutor's office established a special office to oversee the enforcement of legislation in preparation for the Olympic Games with dislocation in Sochi. There was established South transport prosecutor's office, exercising oversight over the implementation of legislation aimed at ensuring the security of transport infrastructure facilities at Sochi, and to oversee the implementation of environmental legislation in the region - the Azov-Black Sea Environmental Prosecutor's Office.
Systematic analysis of the state of the law in activities related to the preparation and holding of the Olympics; timely detection and suppression of violations of the law, using the entire range of powers; constant and systematic oversight of the budget execution, land, environment, town planning legislation against terrorism and extremism; to ensure strict compliance with the rights of citizens - guidelines for deployment of large-scale work, and it must be conducted in a professional manner.
***
Dear Colleagues! You all know about the meeting of the Security Council held on January 30 and dedicated to the issues of environmental safety. By definition given by the President of Russia V. Putin speaking at the meeting, environmental safety is a topic of national interest.
Therefore, prosecutors environment protection activity is becoming more and more important.
Prosecutors get a lot done, the effectiveness of Public Prosecutions in recent years has grown at times (and it was expressed in the report to the Security Council), just last year - by 50%.
The bodies of the Public Prosecutor's Office established a system of legal monitoring in the environmental area, especially in disadvantaged regions. The structure of the General Prosecutor's Office established a special department, which aims to supervise the enforcement of legislation in the area of nature management and environmental protection. A particularly important role in addressing environmental issues is played by a specialized environmental prosecutor's office, a system which we have expanded significantly by increasing their number.
In the past two years, the General Prosecutor's Office has established close and constructive cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources, we organized a joint comprehensive approach to addressing environmental problems. For the first time there was introduced a new form of work - a joint meeting of boards of the General Prosecutor's Office and Ministry. At one of the meetings of a series of effective measures was developed in order to ensure environmental safety in the area of mining enterprises of the Oil and Gas Production Complex. And such joint work, we will continue. At the same time, we do not have to simply record from year to year the same violations that had not previously been addressed by regulatory authorities.
Only real work, effective verification system to monitor the situation in environmentally disadvantaged regions, adopting timely measures will enable us to achieve success. As President of Russia Putin at the meeting of the State Council, talk, and therefore the case should be fought in the "offensive and practical vein… show environmental work at the system level," the daily duties.
It was said to all of us.
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For Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation ensuring the constitutional rights and freedoms of individuals has always been one of the key tasks solvable at all of its multifaceted activities.
Our main efforts were directed at the legal order established in the social sphere. Especially when most of our citizens feel unprotected.
In the center of attention were issues of health, pensions, the rights of veterans and the disabled, wages and ensuring its safe environment, respect of the residential rights of citizens and functioning of the housing and communal system.
In many respects thanks to the active work of prosecutors we managed to achieve a qualitative change in the situation arisen in 2007 to provide preferential categories of citizens with medicines.
Until two years ago, the situation with non-payment of wages was really tense. As of January 1, 2005, total debt amounted to more than 12 billion. Problems related to the non-payment of wages involved half a million citizens, that is, in fact, the twentieth of each employee.
In no small measure due to efficient organization of the prosecutors, as well as a range of effective oversight activities have greatly improved the situation in the area of wages. For 2 years, 180 thousand prosecutors inspections were conducted. At the initiative of prosecutors more than 2 thousand criminal offences relating to the non-payment of wages were filed. To administrative responsibility were attracted 64 thousand people, about 30 thousand -- brought to disciplinary liability. In the interests of workers almost 900 thousand applications were submitted to courts.
As a result of focused and hard work of prosecutors in this area total debt declined by 78% and amounted to 1 January 2008, just over 2 billion This figure was the lowest in the past few years. In addition, according to official statistics, the number dropped to half of debtor companies. Nevertheless, the work in this area should remain under control. Every citizen must obtain in a timely manner that he earned by his own work.
Last year an acute problem affecting many citizens were violations in the area of consumer lending. That - and illegal commercial banks charging commissions of various types of citizens when issuing loans, and did not provide complete and accurate information on the conditions of lending. A number of commercial banks actually made the imposition of additional fee-based services to consumers, which caused extensive material damage to citizens. As a result of measures taken by prosecutors banks lifted illegal commissions, halted the practice of divestiture requirements on the citizens, clients and restructured debt cancelled decal fee payments and penalties, increased transparency of credit. In so doing, the rights of tens of thousands of civilians were restored.
The difficult situation arisen in 2006-2007 in the housing market, have also not been left without interference of prosecutors. Public prosecutors managed to take control of the activities of concerned construction companies, to develop a careful approach to the consideration of applications of the deceived citizens - housing equity participants. In order to eliminate social tension in the area of housing and the protection of the rights of legitimate interests of this category of citizens effective measures were taken to remove artificially created obstacles in the construction of apartment buildings, including excessive administrative barriers and delays on the part of those responsible for processing permits. The bodies of power at the request of prosecutors set up working groups comprising representatives of regulatory bodies, investors, developers and interest-holders that will eventually restore the violated rightd of a large number of citizens. In Tambov area as a result of the work of the interdepartmental commission the financial losses of 264 investors of the camaraderie Social Initiative "and the company" were indemnified. In Tula region investor rights and responsibilities of the association for the construction of residential homes transferred to the new investor who arranged payment to the affected investors. Only in the Central Federal District dozens of fraudsters in the housing market have been convicted.
But challenges still remain, and they must be dealt with together with the executive authorities of the regions and local government.
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In protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, the most important point of the prosecution is to work with their applications. At the same time, special attention is being given by us to restoring violated rights of the poor. The number of complaints received from the public, grows annually. Only in 2007, prosecutors resolved more than 1.4 million applications, out of them nearly 260 thousand were satisfied, more than 1 million people were received by prosecutors in person.
Such a huge number of appeals demonstrates the credibility of the prosecuting authorities. For many citizens prosecutors remain the body in which an applicant can get not only real and effective protection of their rights, but also qualified free legal assistance.
In 2005, for the implementation of the state policy of providing free legal aid to the population of the Government of Russia by the initiative of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation as an experiment in 10 regions of Russia were open government legal offices. They proved its relevance and effectiveness and, in our view, it is now necessary to further develop the system. Poor citizens should receive free legal assistance not only in the prosecutor's office. However, as it turned out, in our country there is a different experience in providing legal services to the population. Students and teachers of the law faculties of St. Petersburg, Moscow and the Nizhny Novgorod university are to receive citizens and provide free qualified legal assistance, which allows both to strengthen the protection of the rights and freedoms of the people and improve students' practical training. The initiator of the project is the Justice faculty of the St. Petersburg State University, where work began in 1998. Students are allowed to work under the supervision of teachers after a special course aimed at the acquisition of practical skills that are basic to all specialized lawyers. The provision of legal services to the population belongs to a mandatory training program for students.
We think this is a serious asset in the work with the citizens and we intend to support this practice by all means. General Prosecutor's Office is taking measures to organize joint work with educational institutions in this regard in all regions of the country. In St. Petersburg State University signed an agreement on cooperation and collaboration in the organization of a joint reception of citizens, as well as providing practical assistance in the preparation of students.
We have approached the Government of the Russian Federation and the Minister of Education and Science with the proposal to extend this experience to other universities in the country, as well as to consolidate in the federal public educational standard - to teach techniques of legal advice. That found full support. So, before you all there is a task to develop constructive cooperation in this regard with universities located in your regions.
***
Since 90-s in the country crime had increased from year to year. For many years there was a steady increase in serious and especially serious crimes, including murders and grievous bodily harm, organized crime, crime in drug trafficking. Disclosure has been steadily low, the delay in investigation of crimes caused the violation of citizens' rights to justice.
The Prosecutor's Office in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies, especially the Ministry of Internal Affairs, took a series of measures aimed at changing the situation in the situation for many years. Thoroughly researched and analyzed is the situation in all federal districts, there are meetings with the Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs. Setting most pressing tasks, encauraging leaders, prosecutors and law enforcement officials to focus on the work, implementing preventive measures – all of that yielded positive results.
For the first time in the last 5 years, the number of reported crimes did not simply slow the rate of growth, but fell by 7%. The number of violent crimes, including murders (19%), intentional infliction of serious bodily injury dropped.
At the same time, in order to counter the real crime alone it is not sufficient to achieve reduction in the number of crimes. The proportion of crimes that remained unsolved, though declined somewhat, but continues to constitute almost half of the total. In 2007, from 3 million 580 thousand crimes recorded more than 1 million 800 thousand not disclosed. Among them - nearly half are the most serious and grave ones, including Each seventh murder (15%).
The main job of prosecutors - through coordination of the fight against crime - to demand from all law enforcement agencies compliance with law requirements on investigating and disclosing crimes, the real implementation of the basic principle of justice - the inevitability of punishment. In many ways the situation with inability to obtain crimes attributed to ongoing operational and investigative work - it is not sufficiently beneficial, it is low level and does not correspond to the magnitude of crime. The operational way discloses only a third of crimes. Analysis of the implementation of operational and investigative activities by the authorized bodies shows that breaches of the law in this work are typical and widespread. Of the 400 thousand cases the prosecutors identified violations in each fourth case.
Suits are filed with violations relating to timing, plans are of a formal nature, documents drawn up late, work on the collection and analysis of information is ineffective, the results of the investigation are submitted to the authorities in violation of the established procedure. Appropriate control by the leaders is absent.
It should not be forgotten that almost 240 thousand persons fled from the inquiry, investigation and trial, and has not yet been found. Every fifth killer escaped justice, more than half of the people who committed intentional inflictions of serious bodily injury also escaped. Our task to search for offenders was real, and not on paper.
Analysis of crime in the country, and identified data on the remaining unsolved crimes, the number of operations show not only lack of impact of operational units, but also the shortcomings in the oversight of prosecutors.
This situation is our fault too. For a long time this area was dealt with only from time to time, there was no smooth organization of the work. Effective measures, including joint ventures with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were not taken. Possible coordination activities were not fully utilized.
Therefore, I ask you to set the proper guidance in this area. Prosecutors’ activities should equally contribute both to securing the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, and the tasks of operational and investigative activities in the fight against crime.
As a result of our collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs the number of concealed crimes dropped by more than 10 thousand. Nevertheless, the situation is still far from perfect - in the past year more than1 million 800 thousand violations of the law in receiving, registering and reviewing reports of crimes were discovered.
We must take a principled stand on this issue, not lowering the level of requirements for compliance with the law. Influence on the state of crime can only be exerted by daily operational and investigative work, rather than manipulation of statistics.
Analysis of the investigative work has shown that for many year in the past the most problematic area was invetigation of MIA Russia, in the last two years there have been objectively serious improvement, a growing number of cases have been completed, improvement of the quality of investigations, time reduction for investigation. This is largely the result of close interaction between prosecutors and Investigations Committee. Moreover, and now despite significant changes in the Criminal Procedure Act, thanks to the constructive position of leadership of the Investigations Committee at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the relationship between investigators and prosecutors, little has changed, we are still working in the same vein, in order to achieve the main goal - incriminating criminals in the strictest rule of law.
However, the investigating staff of the internal affairs bodies have enough problems. In fact, it is overloaded with criminal cases on crimes small and moderate whose share exceeds 70%. Pursuant to the Mandate of the President of the Russian Federation and the decision of the All-Russian coordination meeting of heads of law enforcement bodies to amend the criminal procedure law imposing procedural abbreviated procedure for preliminary investigation and trial of criminal cases of apparent crimes of small and medium gravity that are of no great difficulty in the investigation, and redistribute jurisdiction between the preliminary investigation bodies and bodies of inquiry.
So I do not understand the discussion, launched primarily by the media, as to whether the inquiry must be reformed or not. There can be no discussions here. It is necessary to carry out the instructions of the President of Russia Putin and the All-Russian coordination meeting, which we all approved.
Investigators at the Public Prosecution’s Office have always been a priority activity. The main objective, which was intended in 2007, was to raise the quality and efficiency of the investigation of crimes. Something in that direction that we have been able to do.
Prior to the establishment of the Investigation Committee of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation during the first 8 months of last year we witnessed major developments in the investigation work - the number of terminated cases has fallen by 37% , by 23% - in violation of the period investigated, 25% - returned for further investigation, by 22 % decreased the remainder of uncompleted cases.
Thanks to the measures taken jointly with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia a number of murders was disclosed, which caused a wide public resonance, a number of complicated economic crime cases was completed, including on raid and legalization of proceeds from crime.
Therefore, we rightfully expect that with a new organization of work the achieved positive dynamics will be further enhanced. In summarizing the work of the committee on January 30 this year, we get a good constructive conversation, which evaluated the results of the work, critical analysis of existing problems and set targets for them.
However, there are certain incidents that cause us concern. First of all, the fact that few criminal cases are brought to the prosecutors overall inspections. Out nearly 11 thousand such inspections, the vast majority of which are sent to the Investigation Committee for initiating a criminal case, unfortunately, only 2700 suits were filed.
At the same time, these materials - the result of deep and painstaking inspections conducted with the participation of specialists, with a large volume of documents. The main task of prosecution authorities, prosecutors and investigators - identification and investigation of the complex economic crimes, crimes committed by officials, relating to corruption and causing extensive damage and infringement on the security of the state. It is this component, as a rule, that is contained in the materials. For comparison: in 2006 – based on international materials there were initiated almost 24 thousand criminal cases in the first half of last year - more than 15 thousand and, as a rule, they are brought to court. v
Public prosecutors along with the leaders of the investigative units need to understand the causes of the situation. What is it - poorly conducted verification and prepared materials, or lack of training of investigators?
We are concerned about the quality of investigation. In connection with the investigation for the production of substandard further investigation for the first 5 months over 1600 criminal cases were returned to prosecutors. This is more than in the whole of 2006. And, for example, in the province Kamchatski an indictment for each third case was not signed. There are other flaws that I have already mentioned. I, together with the leadership of the Investigations Committee will be working on getting it fixed.
So now emerging problems must be carefully analyzed and actions to resolve them must be taken promptly. Phase formation committee completed its work and should develop dynamically. That's exactly what society expects, and there are all possibilities, and there is not much time to get ourselves moving.
Only last week there was a wave of murders. Attorney of the Saratov region Grigoriev and the head of Lyul'ka settlement in Moscow were killed, the Moscow Region board attorney Belyayev, the head of the Moscow Guild of markets and fairs Chivilihin, before that - the Russian leader of Phonographic Association Botnaryuk.
This should be seen as a direct challenge to the law-enforcement system. All - and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Investigations Committee, and prosecutors should adequately respond to it. These crimes must be disclosed, and those who are responsible - held accountable. There is a need to collectively review the criminological reasons for the surge, and to develop appropriate measures to counter them. We must prove their own professional viability.
I would like to draw the attention of all those present - in the recent past, unfortunately, there’s been an exaggerated issue of the alleged competition between the Prosecutor's Office and the Investigations Committee. There is no competition and cannot be, but there are common public challenges that each of the bodies solves in the uniform system of the prosecutors of Russian Federation.
Since the establishment of the Investigation Committee, most significant assistance has been provided to it by prosecutors. And the Prosecutor General's Office and prosecutors at all levels have done a lot to set up the committee, solve all organizational matters. Prosecutors in various places correctly took on the challenge to assist professional activities of investigators. We will continue to do so. Creating an efficient committee for investigation in strict, and I emphasize strict compliance with the law, in the Russian prosecutor's office - that is how we understand the objective, set before us by the leadership of the country. And no insinuations will make us back off. No difference in the functions or powers should not overshadow the main - common goals and shared responsibility for achieving concrete results in the work for the strict observance of the rights and guarantees of people involved in criminal proceedings.
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Now - on the types of crimes that have a special place in the present stage of development of society, which in the first place should be brought to your attention. First of all - economic crime and the closely related organized crime. Weak law enforcement in the early decades of involvement of the criminal economy, dissonant system of legislation, all of this has created unprecedented conditions for the criminalization of entire sectors of the economy of our country.
Those spheres of the economy, that yielded and still yield the highest profit, attract organized crime. That and the fuel and energy complex, and production of biological water resources and forest management. All of these have been carefully reviewed by the prosecutor's office, and as a result a number of joint coordination activities unified strategy for interaction between law enforcement agencies has been elaborated. It is supposed to prevent, detect, suppress, investigate and disclose various economic crimes.
So, as a result of coordinated efforts of the prosecution and law enforcement agencies and Privolzhsky Ural federal districts a significant number of crimes in the of fuel and energy complex are uncovered annually, including those committed by organized criminal groups.
In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation to the General Prosecutor's Office and the Russian Federation a well Interdepartmental Working Group was established and successfully operate counteracting crimes in the economic area, with the participation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, FNS Russia, the Federal Security Service of Russia, Rosfinmonitoringa and the Bank of Russia.
A new structure of work in this area has improved the coordination and cooperation of law enforcement agencies and the Bank of Russia in this area, that immediately resulted in its revitalization. There is a more than 2-fold increase in detection of crimes related to the manufacture or sale of counterfeit credit and settlement cards and other payment instruments.
As joint actions by 4 times has grown the number of detected crimes related to the laundering of criminal proceeds. More than 50 criminal cases were filed based on the facts of illegal business, evading taxes, opening bank accounts with false documents and money are cashing in especially large amounts.
You must use positive experience gained in the central apparatus, and organize work in this area in the same manner and with the same efficiency.
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The problem of corruption as a real threat to economic and social stability of the country as early as the year 2006 was stressed by President of the Russian Federation in his Speech to the Federal Assembly.
At the same time, anti-corruption has been identified by us as a priority. Plans have been identified, approved strategy of the prosecution work, identified new concept approaches to the organization of Public Prosecutions. And in 2007 a full-scale implementation of a set of measures designed started.
However, the practice has shown the need to focus on this acute station work. In connection with this a specialized office was established to oversee the enforcement of the law on countering corruption.
In prosecution subjects of the Russian Federation and similar special prosecutor's office formed special divisions. Thus, there was established a vertical capable of preventing corruption offences, identify and eliminate their causes and generating conditions.
For the first time a layer of problems was raised. They are connected with compliance with legislation on the part of public officials and community service. Almost anywhere where inspections were conducted, there were established facts of the public servants involved in the illegal business, and holding shares and paid positions in the economic structures, and simply not presenting declarations prescribed by law. As a result, at the request of prosecutors over 100 thousand people were forced to set their affairs straight.
In the near future on the official website of Russia's General Prosecutor's Office there is going to be a special section on the work of the prosecution to counter corruption. Any citizen will be able to sibmit their application there, and it will be carefully reviewed and verified. However, a serious adjustment requires organization activities of all law enforcement agencies in the fight against corruption offences. Last year the number of reported crimes against public service and the service of local governments in Russia dropped by 2.9%.
This situation doesn’t agree with the reality even with the high latency of these crimes. There is a need for high quality and efficient work of all law enforcement agencies in this regard. There is a need to reassess the criteria for the effectiveness of the anticorruption, it should be aimed at identifying systemic corruption schemes and mechanisms, which lead to corruption in various spheres of relations. And the prosecutors must take their [lace as coordinators of the fight against crime.
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In recent years, law enforcement authorities have achieved some positive results in efforts to identify and suppress incidents of extremism. This work is becoming more efficient. Between law enforcement and regulatory authorities there is an increasing exchange of operational information that allows for timely and adequate response to the identified violations of the law. There is a constantl accumulation of experience and improvement of investigation of criminal cases involving various kinds of extremist manifestations.
These we consider as preventive measures. Acute response to the facts of extremism would prevent the commission of more serious and dangerous crimes, particularly terrorist acts.
In the past year, 759 crimes of a terrorist nature were registered, of them 661 – ended in investigating criminal cases. Their disclosure was more than 90%.
The trend of reducing the number of terrorist acts in the country has gained momentum. In the past year, their recorded number totaled 48 (-57%). For comparison (2003 - 561, 2004 - 277 2005 – 205, 2006 - 112).
This is largely connected with federal authorities’ measures aimed at stabilizing the situation, coordinating the activities of law enforcement officials; more professional and consistent law enforcement actions.
But one shouldn’t have illusions and believe that everything has been done, the work should continue in the same intense manner.
Besides, we do have problems.
One of the main problems - identification and s of the financing of terrorists. Despite the large amount of work done, the results are minimal. In 2007, no one accountable for the crime was prosecuted.
Therefore, this trend should be a priority in the work of all the law enforcement agencies, especially external sources of financing of terrorist activities: funds provided under the guise of humanitarian aid, investment in education, establishment of religious institutions, as well as financial support from various kinds of extremist organizations. Here, we need real concrete results. Criminal groups exist, and therefore they need funding. Cutting of their financing channels - the most important task for all of us.
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Serious challenges face military prosecutors. Over the past year, they have done a great deal to oversee reforms in the Armed Forces. I will stress 3 major problems for us to concentrate to concentrate on.
The first - the legitimacy of material and financial spending and the use of military equipment and weapons. While the number of theft and malfeasance declined slightly, the amount of damage increased by half. Therefore, the prosecutors’ job is to have the military authorities manage, control and audit bodies to ensure the legality regime for the use of funds allocated to the army.
The second challenge is to ensure order among the troops. The decrease in criminal manifestations of this area - no reason to minimize the work. It must continue in the system hard way.
And the third one – the State made an unprecedented effort to provide the military personnel with housing. The Government of Russia proposed that the armed forces be subject to the national project "Affordable and comfortable housing for citizens of Russia". Your mission - to organize a quality prosecution support in terms of securing its implementation.
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As for transport prosecutors, their first priority is to ensure compliance with the law in the area of transport security. Problems accumulated here over the years, and even the State’s measures taken now cannot solve them all at once, and there are no small matters here. And the second - the legislation on foreign economic activities and its participants and the customs authorities. Violation in this area result in multi-billlion damages, and that requires the most careful attention of prosecutors.
Transport prosecutors offices were reconstituted not too long ago, so it is necessary to make a comprehensive analysis of the state of law, determine priorities in this work. And practical help in the unit need centralized administration.
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The Attorney General's Office of Russian Federation significantly intensified international cooperation with the competent authorities of foreign countries in the area of extradition of suspects for prosecution, legal assistance in criminal matters, establishment of the legal and regulatory framework for interaction ofprosecutors and investigators with the relevant authorities of foreign countries and international organizations.
We see that there is not only increasing intensity, but also the effectiveness of this cooperation. More requests for extradition are sent, by more than a quarter has grown the number of persons extradited to us by foreign countries. We have been able to ensure extradition of suspects in a number of "big" cases (for example, Zakharov accused of organizing and committing murder of the governor of the Magadan region).
General Prosecutor’s Office of Russian Federation also granted more foreign requests for extradition. There is an obvious positive trend of reducing the timing of their consideration. By more than 15 times has dropped the number of persons held in custody over 6 months, pending a decision on the request for extradition. None of the 176 court rulings appealed to the court and relating to extradition of persons from the Russian Federation in foreign countries has been cancelled. There ia a well-developed collaboration with the investigating authorities in several countries to join efforts to investigate criminal cases on the facts of legalizing criminal funds by the same people. We believe that improving the international coordination of the investigation of many crimes will facilitate the conclusion of an agreement on cooperation between the Russian Federation and Eurojust - a specialized body of the European Union in the field of legal assistance. We expect to finalize the contract this year.
Within framework of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Commission of the European Communities and the Council of Europe there is dynamically developing interaction of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Academy of the General Directorate of Human Rights of the Council of Europe in the organization and operation of schools of training and skills development prosecutorial staff.
In our view, to better protect the rights and legitimate interests of Russia, its citizens and organizations must drastically expand the namber of states that have a contractual relationship. In 2007 the Prosecutor General's Office concluded 13 agreements and other acts with the competent bodies of foreign states relating to cooperation in the area of criminal justice.
Significantly, in the period from 1992 to 2005, the Prosecutor General's Offic prepared and concluded 21 agreements of this kind. There is also a need to expand the geography of international cooperation using the existing international instruments.
The proposals of General Prosecutor’s Office of Russia were approved by the President of the Russian Federation Putin, and I think that their implementation will significantly strengthen our position in the international arena.
Finally on this subject. Europe is beginning to actively use our experience. The Council of Europe considers it a priority to study and share experience that we had earlier, to oversee the consequence of recent changes to the law.
In July this year, together with the Council of Europe in St. Petersburg a high-profile conference will be held on the issues of prosecutorial protection of human rights, including outside the scope of criminal law. The European Council’s Secretary General Terry Davis will take part in the conference.
Consideration of this important topic was initiated by the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation within the framework of the Consultative Council of European prosecutors, who this fall must submit to the Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe recommendations on the use of positive prosecutorial experience, especially Russia.
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In 2007, the most important socio-political event for the country was the election of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
Even in the report on the results of the prosecutor's office work in 2006 all prosecutors were assigned a task to avoid provocation and destabilization of the situation in the pre-election period and during the elections. The preparations for the electoral campaigns for the elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation and the election of the President of the Russian Federation, the prosecutor's office began early. The performed that work on a system basis during the whole last year.
In November 2007, just before the elections themselves, we held a brief meeting, where we discussed the work of prosecutors in the run-up to elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russian Federation. This enabled us to identify major concerns and acute problems that formed the basis for formulating appropriate and effective solutions.
As a result this approach allowed us to minimize violations of election laws. Identified violations were minor and tend to be technical in nature and do not prevent the expression of the will of citizens.
The work aimed at protecting the electoral rights of citizens continues today. In anticipation of the election of the President of the Russian Federation all prosecutors were given key priorities: to verify compliance with the electoral laws, legislation on inter-ethnic relations, activities of non-profit and religious organizations, including educational, compliance with legislation on processions and rallies. In addition, to take effective measures for their completion. Most importantly, prosecutors must suppress any attempts of manifestations of religious and political extremism.
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One of the major conditions that affect the decision-scale tasks assigned to the Prosecutor's Office leadership of the country - effective organization of personnel work. This year we have transferred a large number of investigators and criminalists to the Investigations Committee, a few prosecutors, exercising oversight of the investigation. In the vast majority of regions and districts heads of investigative agencies and offices are deputy prosecutors, that were in reserve to be nominated for the positions of prosecutors.
Nevertheless, the situation with the prosecution of personnel has remained stable. We had a large reserve, which allowed us to renew the staff fast enough. Over the past year, 49 employees of the prosecution were awarded state awards, 91 - vacant titles of state councilor of justice. In assessing the state of discipline in the prosecution bodies we can conclud that the leaders generally took a principled stand against the violators of service discipline, the persons who committed the offences tarnishing the honour of a prosecutorial worker.
During the year, more than 3 thousand people were brought to disciplinary liability, for breach of oath of prosecutor were dismissed from their posts and expelled from the prosecution bodies of cities and regions - 9 city and district prosecutors and 1 Regional Deputy Attorney, 31 employees of the prosecution brought to administrative responsibility and 22 to the criminal justice.
We will continue to vigorously fight for the purity of our ranks, scrutinize each candidate for appointment to the position in accordance with requirements of the law applying to prosecution workers.
As I said, with the establishment of the Investigations Committee, it took a large number of employees in reserve for the nomination to senior offices. This, as well as the growing number of younger people among the personnel of the prosecution in recent years, requires serious attention to the problems of training and education of staff, especially young professionals. We should work to expand the training and qualification, to revive the Institute of mentoring.
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Staff work has another very important component - the material and social welfare of the personnel. In order to improve working conditions half a billion rubles have been invested in development. 12 facilities havce been put into operation, 13 buildings purchased, the construction of 17 facilities commenced. More than 400 cars have been purchased.
455 apartments were purchased for prosecutors.I would like to stress that extra medical assistance have been provided for them and their families totaling more than 100 million rubles.
We will pay the utmost attention to this area. Our principle is as follows - creating decent working conditions and social protection for the people, to hold them accountable for their work. This year our funding increased: for capital construction - more than by third, and for the purchase of housing for employees – by 2 times. And finally, I want to thank all the attorneys for their intense, teamwork and professionalism in the way of solving the basic objectives of the prosecution.
I am confident that the existing potential of efficient and competent professionals will allow to honorably solve all new, even more complex, multifaceted challenges facing prosecutors.
