How to defeat corruption in Russia. Public Anti-Corruption Committee
MBOU secondary school Kulikovskaya secondary school
Completed by: Irina Vedenyapina, Kulikovskaya secondary school, Krasnoslobodsky district, 11th grade.
Head: Golyatkina N.V.
How to fight corruption?
Of course, they didn’t ask me...
But I'll tell you so you know.
Article 291 of the Criminal Code in Russia
No one has canceled yet...
The topic of my essay - corruption, its consequences, counteraction to corruption - was not chosen by chance. This topic is one of the most relevant today.Corruption is inherent in all states and peoples and has deep, centuries-old roots.
We live in a very difficult time, a time of economic reforms and crises, a time of transformation. According to research, corruption is a negative phenomenon. It undermines the foundations of society, creates threats to development, contributes to a decline in trust in government bodies, and destroys the economy and morality of society. It depends on us - what kind of state will we live in: honest or corrupt? Corruption in the world is used to judge whether a decent person, a decent company or a decent state can deal with a particular country. IN Explanatory dictionary Russian language Ozhegova S.I., gives the following definition of the term “corruption”: “Corruption is the moral corruption of officials and politicians, expressed in illegal enrichment, bribery, theft and merging with mafia structures.”
Nowadays there is a lot of talk about the fact that if you have connections, you can get a job anywhere and with anyone, pass the Unified State Exam with 100 points, and even escape responsibility!
We are all familiar with the word “bribe”. Wherever we are, no matter who we turn to for help, nothing can be solved without money. Everyone just keeps saying: “Money, money!” As if they decide everything?! Yes, indeed, they decide everything.For some, this is a way to solve their problems, and for others, it is to illegally enrich themselves. I hate those who live by circumventing the laws. After all, it’s unpleasant when they boss you around, force you to do something and at the same time extort money. Of course, everyone in life can make a mistake, slip, fall, but you must always find the strength to get up and continue your truly honest path!
When corruption takes you by surprise,
The good POLICE will help you!
Will arrive quickly, in just a few minutes,
And then goodbye CORRUPTION!
We praise the police and our bosses, but often they themselves are dishonest. Why? Perhaps because they feel impunity. Today, indeed, it is necessary to punish bribes more harshly. For what? To eradicate it from our society. Next question more difficult. How?
Any problem does not come out of nowhere. Every phenomenon has roots. For example, in order to treat, a doctor must collect information and make a diagnosis. So is corruption. Let's turn to the most reliable and proven source of obtaining it - history. Without knowing the past, there cannot be a normal present and, especially, a normal future. Therefore, let's see what punishments for corruption were in different times. The time of Ivan the Terrible. A decree was issued requiring the immediate death penalty for corrupt officials.
The time of the Great Peter I. The Tsar hated and threatened that anyone who stole money with which to buy a rope would be hanged on the same rope.
The reign of Catherine II. She did not introduce the death penalty to officials. Maybe that's why the Empress couldn't find a solution to this problem.
The reign of Joseph Stalin. The fight against corruption proceeded with varying success and reached its apogee during the time of Stalin. It was during this period that the level of corruption was reduced to a minimum.
After Stalin's death, the growth of the bureaucracy contributed to the sprouting of new weeds of corruption. It became one of the most fashionable topics at that time. It was Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin’s “finest hour,” as they say now, the dashing 90s.
When Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000, the topic of corruption faded into the background for some time, since it was necessary to raise the country, transform the mess left by Yeltsin into a viable country and restore lost sovereignty.
And finally, Dmitry Medvedev, and then again Vladimir Putin, actively took up the fight against corruption.
Thus, we can conclude that Russia was and remains one of the most corrupt states on the planet. The country has always fought corruption, or at least tried to do so. But somehow it was not possible to achieve any special results.However, there are many countries with very low levels of corruption. Moreover, it is known historical examples, when actions aimed at reducing corruption led to significant success: Singapore, Hong Kong, Portugal, Sweden. This clearly speaks in favor of the fact that methods of combating corruption exist.
But, as we see, only some countries rightfully fight corruption, and the rest! We can only rely on the conscience of each person.
Indeed, there are honest people who do not take bribes, who are not sold for any money, who are loyal to their homeland and their conscience. As people say: “You can’t make all the money.” Yes, everyone needs money, I don’t argue, today it’s impossible to live without money. We often encounter the situation: to make money more money, people “sleep over” at work. Is it worth it? If yes, then for what? So that later, when you are no longer healthy, you can spend all your earned money on medicine? A vicious circle, isn't it? There is something to think about.
Both the Bible and the Koran condemn bribery: “Do not accept gifts, for gifts make blind those who see and pervert the work of the righteous.”
How can you fight corruption? Are there ways to eradicate it? The ways to fight corruption, in my opinion, are:
Improve laws
Reduce the number of officials
Increase salaries (for really necessary people)
Increase the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies in the fight against corruption.
Openness in the media
Do not give or take bribes
Tighten penalties for corruption
Fostering intolerance in society towards corruption and respect for the law.
From all this we can draw a sad, but, alas, only conclusion: either victims of corrupt officials and extortionists at all levels will have to continue to rely only on themselves, following the famous principle “saving drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves,” or the time has come for our country begin to take serious measures to combat corruption. Its success is possible only if citizens are not indifferent. As Vladimir Putin noted, “the fight against corruption should become a truly national matter, and not a subject of political speculation, a field for populism, and political exploitation.” I would like to believe that this is exactly what will happen. Perhaps, in fact, corruption will disappear over time, but as long as it exists, we will fight until it is completely eradicated!
It is necessary to fight corruption, but obviously not in the same way as they are fighting it now. There are more than enough examples in History - Singapore, China, Hong Kong. In these countries there was corruption worse than in Russia, but they were able to defeat it in a very short time. Having defeated corruption, these countries began to develop at an unprecedented pace, surprising economists from all countries.
Further from the author: Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) highlights only occasional moments, while the system as a whole needs to be changed.
Execution for corruption in China
The political system in Russia, copied from the Western model, does not work the way it works in the West. This is especially noticeable locally, in small towns. With the help of PR technologies, crooks come to power for money and plan to use their official position solely for personal interests and material enrichment. The people are viewed as a gray, faceless mass - the main resource for enrichment. Political system it definitely needs to be changed, limiting the rights of officials, introducing criteria for the effectiveness of their work. It is necessary to carry out mass purges of officials, including using a lie detector. Many officials do not consider Russia at all as their future place of residence - their children and wives live abroad, and the officials themselves are ready to leave at any moment. List of measures:1. Abolish parliamentary immunity.
Using a lie detector to interrogate officials
2. Hire officials after taking a lie detector test.
3. Hire officials after interrogation under hypnosis.
4. Test officials on a monthly lie detector test.
5. Interrogate officials monthly using hypnosis.
It is difficult to fool a lie detector, but lying under hypnosis is impossible.
The question arises why these measures are practically not used in the investigation of corruption crimes.
6. Eliminate the statute of limitations for corruption crimes
that is, you can go to jail even for a bribe received 20 years ago.
7. Declare capital punishment for corruption crimes.
The highest penalty is life imprisonment (better the death penalty, as in China).
Officials restricted from traveling? Why not. This is how employees of the Prosecutor's Office and employees of defense enterprises live, for example.
8. Make officials and their family members unable to travel abroad for at least 10-15 years after the end of their term. (i.e. they cannot obtain a foreign passport during work and 5-15 years after dismissal, and if they had a passport, they are required to hand it over to the Federal Migration Service)The fact that the children of officials study and live abroad demotivates the official to create quality education in Russia, the fact that his family members live abroad demotivates the official to create a high standard of living in Russia. The fact that the official and his family members are being treated abroad demotivates the official to create high-quality medicine in Russia. Why try and develop education, medicine, and improve the standard of living in Russia if an official has built a reserve airfield there, in fact, he lives abroad with one foot in front of him, but here in Russia he lives out of suitcases, and is ready to leave at any moment when they “come for him” , taking advantage of parliamentary immunity.
Where does the money come from?
9. Develop measures by which a person who knows about the commission of a corrupt act and hides this fact from law enforcement agencies becomes an accomplice to the crime and receives 7-10 years.For example, the wife or mistress of an official, who knows that his husband’s official salary is, say, 150 thousand, and at the same time the official gives her a diamond necklace or a yacht, or they fly to vacation on a luxury island, or he buys a house, should not be happy but clarify where the money comes from? And without receiving an intelligible answer, go to the police and write a statement because... sooner or later she will be imprisoned, the official will be subject to capital punishment, and their children will end up in an orphanage.
Or: A deputy, colleague, subordinate, who knows about an impending or committed corrupt act, is obliged to report this to the law enforcement agencies, in this case, he is a witness in this case, receives a bonus in the amount of 10-50% of the bribe received and can apply for the position of a corrupt official. If the subordinate does not report, then he is declared an accomplice, and they both receive a prison sentence.
What are the performance criteria for officials?
10. Develop criteria for the effectiveness of officials, and fire them for ineffective work.The dismissal of officials should become simple and commonplace. After dismissal, an official does not have the right to hold government or leadership positions for 5-10 years.
Career ladder for an official
11. Develop a career ladder for major officials: presidents, governors and mayors, i.e. An effective municipal/state manager of a lower rank, and not a person from the street, can become a major official, i.e.:If a person effectively managed a school, hospital, technical school, institute, etc. then he can apply for the post of deputy in a certain area/district.
After he has effectively managed a given district/section, he can apply for a higher post.
Then the mayor, then the governor, and only then the president.
Naturally, he can be thrown out for corruption at any stage.
To become a doctor, you study for 6-7 years and are responsible for the lives of hundreds of people.
To become a firefighter, you study for 3-4 years and then are responsible for the lives of dozens of people.
Moreover, both a firefighter and a doctor can easily be fired for not showing up for work, for ineffective work, for causing harm to health or the death of a person.
And to become a deputy, influencing the lives, health, well-being of thousands and sometimes millions of people, you don’t need to study anywhere, and you don’t need to know anything, your attitude towards voters can be anything, you don’t have to go to work, you can pass laws aimed against the health of voters or worsening their living conditions and it is impossible to fire him for this.
Confiscation of illegally acquired property.
12. Confiscation of all property, incl. those objects that do not officially belong to the official, but which the official regularly used. In this case, the legal owner of the property must prove that the property officially and actually belongs to him and he has official income for this. Also, the official owner must prove, using a lie detector and/or hypnosis, that he has no connection with the official, i.e. it does not represent his financial, business, political or other interests.That is, you need to understand that if an official stays at a hotel 5 times in a row, this is one thing, but if he regularly lives in a country estate with an area of 1000 sq.m. which belongs to his mother, whose pension is 12 thousand rubles. This is completely different.
In conclusion, I would like to add that the official should be as originally intended - a person working in the interests of society, in the interests of the people. Now it's the other way around.
In just 40 years, Singapore has transformed from a backward Asian country into a developed world power. The key to success is the fight against corruption. Repression? Singapore authorities have found more effective methods.
Heavy inheritance
By the time it gained independence (1965), Singapore was in a deplorable state - poverty for the majority of the population, embezzlement and bribery were an integral part of the life of the state. The country was sorely lacking natural resources– we even had to import fresh water and construction sand. Although the British colonial authorities left a legacy of an effective management system, it was powerless against the level of corruption that overwhelmed Singapore. The fight against abuses in government was greatly complicated by the fact that many officials were involved in a corruption scheme. The development of corruption was facilitated by the modest earnings of civil servants in comparison with employees of the commercial sector. Moreover, a significant part of the population had extremely low level education and legal culture. In such a situation, bribes were the only way to increase their income.
Political will
The man who managed to turn the tide in the country was Lee Kuan Yew. With his People's Action party, in June 1959, he won the elections and took the post of prime minister. “A group of bourgeois, English-educated leaders,” as the new party called itself, immediately set about establishing order in the social, legal and economic spheres. The determination with which Lee Kuan Yew began his reforms is best characterized by his statement: “If you want to defeat corruption, be prepared to jail your friends and relatives.” From now on, the law ruled the country. Everyone was equal before him - be it a mid-level official or a member of parliament. According to the new government, in order to cope with malfeasance, it was necessary to completely eliminate the established scheme: power - money - corruption. For these purposes, the Ministry of Finance developed a special anti-corruption program, which included a number of measures. Here are some of them: – ensuring transparency of control of lower-level officials by higher-level ones; – maintaining a rotation of officials to avoid the formation of corruption ties; – conducting unannounced inspections – improving procedures for interaction with citizens and organizations in order to eliminate bureaucratic delays; Lee Kuan Yew's party also cared about the formation of an independent and objective media that would impartially cover all corruption scandals.
First of all - prosperity
One of the most important measures to effectively combat corruption was increasing salaries for officials. “They deserve it for their decent and honest work,” said Lee Kuan Yew. According to the politician, if civil servants are not paid extra, it is unlikely that they will be able to avoid a “brain drain” to the commercial sector. It is stable and secure power that is the key to successful governance of the country. The increase in the wealth of officials quickly made itself felt - on public service the best specialists have transferred. And with the onset of rapid economic recovery wage officials began to grow in proportion to the income of the private sector. The fact is that Lee Kuan Yew modified the traditional scheme of income for senior officials. Now, salary revisions for ministers, judges and senior civil servants have become automatically linked to the amount of income taxes paid by the private sector. The formula for salaries of officials, which still works, looks like this: the salary level of a civil servant was determined as 2/3 of the income of a private sector employee of comparable rank, noted by him in his tax return.
"Bureau of Investigation of Contagious Greed"
From British colonial government Singaporeans got the Corruption Investigation Bureau (CBI), which was popularly called the “Contagious Greed Investigation Bureau”. The Director of the Bureau was directly responsible for his activities to the Prime Minister of the country. The main functions of the DBK are to consider complaints about abuse of official position, cases of negligence, negligence and bribery committed by public servants. The Bureau was endowed with authoritarian powers. It had the right, without a court order, to detain and search those suspected of corruption, and to check their bank and share accounts. The bureau could also conduct a case against the suspect's relatives, call in any witnesses for questioning, and also investigate offenses that arose during the course of studying the case. The DBK had the right to hold absolutely any citizen accountable, regardless of his status, rank and religion. There were no exceptions for senior civil servants, which, for example, exists in Russia. But especially close attention was paid to the employees of those government agencies who, due to their duties, occupy potentially corrupt positions. An official who was convicted of corruption was deprived of his job, pension and all benefits. Eat interesting numbers, given by Harvard University staff. They calculated that reducing the country's corruption from the level of Mexico to the level of Singapore would provide the state with an economic effect comparable to an increase in taxes by 20%. For example, in Russia this amount will cover budgetary allocations to science, education and healthcare combined.
Everyone is subject to the law In 1989, the DBK considered that the minimum fine for corrupt activities was insufficient and increased it from 10 thousand to 100 thousand Singapore dollars. In addition, giving false testimony or attempting to mislead the investigation became punishable imprisonment and a fine of 10 thousand Singapore dollars. From all seeing eye Even the Prime Minister himself could not hide from this punitive body. The DBK has repeatedly conducted investigations against Lee Kuan Yew and his family members, although they had no results. But during the activities of the DBK, several federal ministers were sent to jail, public figures, heads of trade unions and top managers of state-owned companies. Here is one of the sensational stories when a major government official - the head of the Ministry of Security - appeared in court environment Wee Tun Boon. In 1975, he and his family took a trip to Indonesia. But the trip was not paid for from the official’s own pocket, but by the contractor who built his housing, whose interests Wee Tun Boon represented before government officials. Moreover, the minister also received from the contractor a mansion worth S$500 thousand and two loans, which he issued in the name of his father for total amount 300 thousand Singapore dollars for speculation in the stock market. After the accusation and trial Wee Tun Boon was sentenced to four years and six months in prison. The verdict was appealed. The court upheld the charges, although the prison term was reduced by 18 months.
German and American professors discuss how to defeat corruption in Russia
ended in St. Petersburg international Conference“Cultural and Economic Changes in Comparative Perspective”, organized by the Laboratory of Comparative Social Research of the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Scientists from different countries who took part in it spoke about how to fight corruption and why some countries succeed in modernization and others do not..
Eric USLANER, professor government controlled and politics at the University of Maryland (USA), has been doing research for many years.
– Which countries are most successful in fighting corruption??
– There are two places that can be called models of the fight against corruption: Singapore and Hong Kong. They began their anti-corruption campaign in the 1960s. Both territories faced an external threat in the form of China at that time. Their leaders were faced with the problem of retaining power in their hands, and for this it was necessary to enlist the support of the population. And therefore they were concerned not about the implementation of corruption schemes, but about the development government programs helping ordinary people.
Without going into too much detail, I believe that the solution to corruption begins with universal basic education. When people have the opportunity to improve their skills, their chances of finding better job, which makes them more independent from corrupt authorities.
– It is believed that democratic countries fight corruption more successfully. This is true?
– It is a very common opinion that social order determines the level of corruption. But it is not always the case. Many democratic regimes are extremely corrupt. Alone European countries more successful than others. Greece, for example, is very corrupt, as is Italy, which is considered to have the most high level corruption.
The Scandinavian countries are the least corrupt - and they also have the highest level of equality. It is known that in countries with a high level of social equality, people treat each other better and respect other people's rights. And many democratic countries, with high levels of inequality, also have high levels of corruption. The mere establishment of democracy does not guarantee equal distribution of wealth in society, that is, the social structure has nothing to do with it.
– What kind of equality are you talking about?
– By equality I mean, first of all, equal distribution of income and wealth among the population. The role of the state in ensuring this equality is enormous. IN Scandinavian countries Everything is being done for this: there, for example, the system of universal education is very developed. People there receive essential services simply because they live in this country. You don't have to be a citizen; migrants have the same rights. This creates a feeling of inclusion in society and increases the level of trust. Equality and trust go hand in hand: in a society where their level is high, the level of corruption automatically decreases, since people do not feel the need to divide into groups. Instead, they take care of each other themselves. I'm talking not only about economic, but also about social equality, in which people feel like they are part of the same group, rather than different ones.
– Which corruption is more dangerous – everyday corruption or corruption at the top?
- They are inseparable. If the top of society is not corrupt, then Everyday life there will be no room for corruption. And vice versa: if the regime in your country is very corrupt, then this affects the average resident of this country, since he ultimately has to pay for the most necessary services: for security, for school, and so on. This means that people have less money for everything else. Thus, the state receives less and less money from the population to provide security, education, health care, and roads. And it's a vicious circle. Politicians are only concerned with putting more money in your own pocket. Obviously, any money stolen is money that did not go towards running public services. And it just seems that they are not stealing from your own pockets - in fact, this is exactly what happens .
– Where does corruption begin: at the macro or micro level?
– As a rule, at the macro level. But having arisen there, it very quickly comes to life. ordinary people, who, although they do not accept corruption, play by its rules, since they do not see options to fight the system. And here the state plays a decisive role.
– Do culture and mentality have an impact?
– There are no cultures that are corrupt by definition. Although many Asian cultures, oriented towards self-reliance and protecting the interests of the group, offer us the best examples of the fight against corruption. But corruption is not something that is inherited. First of all, everything depends on the economy.
– You said that universal education very important for the fight against corruption. In Russia, for example, there is a very high percentage of people with higher education. What's wrong with us?
– I am not well enough familiar with the situation in Russia in all aspects. But as for education, although it helps improve living conditions, if you also need good connections, then education fades into the background. When we ask the question, “What do you think is more important to success: hard work or connections?” – in the West people usually answer: “You have to work hard.” But in Russia you still have . This is where the problem lies.
Christian WELZEL, Head of Research Department political culture University of Leufana (Germany), deals with the problems of modernization and uneven development of countries.
– It's obvious that different countries develop unevenly. What is the main reason here - mentality, resources, leaders?
– main reason is that countries enter the process of modernization while being in different conditions. Geographical or religious. The geostrategic position largely determines the future of the country - whether it has, say, great empires in the neighborhood or not. There is a whole complex of factors that direct countries along different trajectories.
The problem is that almost all countries adhere to the path that historically fell to them (in English language there is such a thing as path-dependent), and for them it is very difficult to leave a given trajectory. But it still happens. Best examples- Asian countries. Some of them were as poor as the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. For example, in the 1960s South Korea was at the same income level as Ghana. And now this rich state, one of the four "East Asian tigers".
– If we exclude geographical factor and look at countries in similar conditions, what is the reason for the differences between them?
– If the geography is the same, then the first place comes to the presence or absence of the right to choose, the nature of existing institutions and the ideology in which they are included. It is interesting to track how the societies of lagging countries and leading countries are developing. "Asian Tigers" - good example how, in an effort to catch up with modernization, one can rediscover own country and organize effective reforms.
There are such examples in history too. For example, when German Prussia was defeated by Napoleon's troops in 1812, people realized: their society - not only in the military sense, but also in the internal political sense - was organized incorrectly, and therefore it was dying. And they turned to more successful examples and tried to repeat their path.
But this model only works under two conditions. First: you must have a political strategy, some own recipe. But this is not enough. You need people with power. And, by the way, the regime in the country does not have to be democratic. The main thing is leaders who can unite people to fulfill the national mission, and not just seize power for the sake of self-enrichment. It seems to me that this problem is especially acute in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, where leaders traditionally use power to generate additional income for themselves and their circles.
– In Russia, many believe that all its troubles are due to sitting on the “oil needle”. Do you agree with this?
– The problem with Russia is that its economy is based on the export of oil and gas. This is the so-called “resource curse”. IN modern world It turned out that the possession of a large amount of natural resources - gas, oil, minerals - is not at all a gift from above. Quite the contrary, resource dependence puts the state on a trajectory that leads in the wrong direction. As long as the state receives excess income from an oil or gas monopoly, it does not need to think about universal income tax, which means there is no urgent need to interact with the population. Reliance on income not related to the population always leads to state institutions are becoming less and less representative.
Further: when your income is based on the export of natural resources, you stop investing in human capital. This means that there is no incentive in society to develop the knowledge economy, which gives the strongest impetus to development: you can invent intellectual products and sell them at a high price on the international market.
– How do you assess the situation in Russia after the introduction of sanctions?
– I would call this situation counterproductive for both sides – for Russia and for the West. In Russia, nationalist sentiments are now becoming stronger. At the same time, there are a number of liberal-minded people, and the West would like to help them become more influential. The West lacks an understanding of the Russian mentality; they know nothing about the Russian vision of the situation. Therefore, the position that Russia now occupies is incomprehensible to us. And in conditions of complete misunderstanding it is impossible to negotiate.
On Wednesday, more than fifty of the largest foreign companies operating in Russia signed anti-bribery principles. The chairman of the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce, Michael Harms, told the VZGLYAD newspaper whether this initiative is connected with the scandals surrounding the companies Daimler and Hewlett-Packard, and what specific anti-corruption mechanisms are contained in the adopted document.
“We’ve been working since November”
– Mr. Harms, today over fifty foreign companies operating in Russia have signed the anti-bribery principles. Why did the initiative to sign this document arise now?
– This initiative did not arise now; we have been working on preparing all the documents since November last year. This was preceded by a process of negotiations between firms and other business associations.
The work was greatly facilitated by the political atmosphere, since it was now possible to speak openly about the problem of corruption. All the initiatives proposed by the Russian government and President Dmitry Medvedev to combat corruption influenced our decision. We told ourselves: as a foreign business, we must make our contribution, because the fight against corruption contributes to improvement investment climate in Russia.
– There is an opinion that your initiative is connected with the latest corruption scandals, in particular regarding the companies Daimler and Hewlett-Packard...
“There were no disputes”
– Today, the companies signed two documents: the Russian “Initiative for compliance with the principles of corporate ethics when conducting commercial activities in Russia” and international principles anti-bribery measures developed by a working group with the participation of the World economic forum. What is special about these documents?
– The difference between the international and Russian documents that we signed is insignificant. Just Russian document− shorter, declarative in nature. The international document contains 17 pages of text, which describes in detail all the mechanisms and individual aspects of business activity. For example, the principles of working with contractors, suppliers, and partners are spelled out there. Constant staff training, financial reporting monitoring, control over cash flows, checking the sponsorship activities of political parties and politicians.You see, the value of signed documents lies precisely in detailed description mechanisms to combat corruption. Of course, we could stand up and say that we want to fight corruption - this is correct, but not specifically. And build business processes for global companies– is already quite a serious step.
– How smoothly were the negotiations between the companies regarding the signing of anti-corruption documents?
"Strong self-disciplining element"
– Will foreign companies also refuse hidden forms of bribes, for example in the form of donations in support of political parties, charitable organizations etc.?
– Of course, nothing can be said against charitable organizations. The principles state that firms undertake to comply with applicable laws in the country. Also, nothing can be said about political parties. But in every case of sponsorship, companies undertake to be checked for hidden forms of corruption.
– According to the signed principles, if one of the participants in this initiative becomes aware of violations of the principles by another participant, he undertakes to inform the violating party about this. How much do you believe in the reality of such a development, given the strong ties between the companies?
– I believe, rather, in indirect influence. Because the open accusation of one large company in bribery, the other is a difficult matter that requires serious evidence. It is simply a strong self-disciplining element.
“The fight against corruption is a long process”
– What specific anti-bribery mechanisms are included in the signed documents?
– Very serious work with partners and contractors. A separate topic is working with consultants. It is known that payments to consultants who facilitate the conclusion of a deal are also a hidden form of corruption. Further. Checking all financial flows. Prohibition of cash payments within companies, as well as transfers of funds to private accounts. System of training and incentives for employees. It is important to include all this in daily business practice.
- Well, the last question. Do you believe that corruption in Russia can be overcome?
– I believe that this is possible. But this is a long process that will require efforts not only from the business community, but also from government agencies. The atmosphere is conducive to this now. Of course, a change in consciousness, mentality, and traditions of Russians will be required, and this may take years. But you have to start somewhere. We would be glad if our initiative makes a contribution to this process. It is very important that large quantity companies were involved in this process. And it would be good if Russian companies followed our example.