In July and August 2012, two bills were proposed, according to which government officials of the Russian Federation should be prohibited from storing money in foreign banks and owning real estate outside their state. The bills were supported by representatives of all factions of the Duma.
The ban on ownership of foreign real estate is partly due to the fact that, having bought an apartment or house in a foreign country, the official will be forced to constantly take into account the position of that state when making certain decisions. Moreover, property may even turn out to be blackmail if the government of the country where it is located wants to “put pressure” on a Russian official.
As for the ban on storing money in banks of other states, it is primarily associated with the need to improve the state of the Russian economy and reduce the amount of money "floating" abroad. According to some politicians, public servants are required to support domestic banks, and not to develop the economy of other countries. Moreover, this will help to control the income of officials, as well as increase the effectiveness of the fight against corruption. The fact is that foreign banks often do not provide all the necessary information about the accounts of their customers from Russia, and this allows an unscrupulous official to "hide" money received illegally.
In the event that the proposed bills come into force, civil servants will be given six months to transfer money and close foreign accounts and a year to resolve all issues related to foreign real estate. When this period expires, officials who have not fulfilled the requirements will be brought to justice. For violation of the law, up to 5 years in prison and up to 10 million rubles are fined.
According to a sociological survey conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation, a third of Russians surveyed are convinced that if officials are forbidden to keep money in foreign banks and to buy property abroad, the state of the Russian economy will really improve. At the same time, 66% of respondents supported the bills and found them fair.
