Ethics Newsline®

MOSCOW
Government officials in Russia are pocketing bribes that are roughly equal to the nation’s entire revenues, according to a prosecutor there.

First deputy prosecutor general Alexander Buksman said corrupt officials are stealing about $240 billion per year, a figure comparable to the nation’s officially stated gross national revenues, according to the Moscow Times.

The Associated Press reports that Buksman’s comments mark the first time a senior Russian official has ascribed a monetary figure to corruption, a problem that has mushroomed as the nation moves toward a free-market economy.

The explosion in bribery comes despite a public crackdown on corruption by president Vladimir Putin, notes the International Herald Tribune.

The anti-corruption agency Transparency International, which has consistently rated Russia among the most corrupt nations in the world, said the $240 billion figure is believable.

TI Russia director Elena Panfilova told the BBC: “This figure is not only for bribery; it is kickbacks to state officials for procurements, the purchase of permission for business…. If we look at corruption in this way, then the $240 billion figure is possible.”