More than 123.000 economic crimes registered in Russia

More than 123.000 economic crimes have been registered by the Russian Interior Ministry in the first half of 2003, the press release of the Russian Interior Ministry says.

About 70 percent of crimes can be described as very grave offences, the press release states.

All Russian Interior Ministry units combating economic crimes took into account the fact that economic situation in the country was rather difficult and powers of state bodies monitoring economic activities were clipped, the press release says.

Special attention was paid to countermeasures against illicit and illegal goods trade. Sixty-one thousand enterprises have been checked since January 2003, activities of 432 have been found illegal and have been suspended.

More than 1,8 thousand proceedings have been instituted against organizers of economic crimes, about 5 thousand people were fined. According to data of the Russian Interior Ministry, this year it confiscated fake goods and equipment worth of 350 mln rubles (about 10 mln euro).

In 2003 the Russian Interior Ministry together with the Russian Ministry of Health conducted an operation against fake drug distribution. Activities of 146 medical institutions were suspended, in 740 cases papers were submitted to deprive the institutions of the license.

On Friday Russian Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov heard a report by head of the Russian Federal Service fighting economic and tax crimes Sergei Verevkin-Rokhalsky summing up the activities of the service in the first half of 2003.