Support The Moscow Times!

6,000 Russian Bureaucrats Fined for Neglecting Public Complaints

Vedomosti

Some 6,000 Russian bureaucrats are facing fines after ignoring, neglecting or mishandling public complaints in 2016.

The civil servants will face a collective fine of approximately 30 million rubles ($525,000,) or an average penalty of $88 each. Another 14,000 officials will be formally reprimanded by Russia’s Prosecutor General's Office, the RBC news outlet reported Tuesday.

Most of the officials took too long to deal with complaints, forgot to update members of the public on their appeals, or redirected complaints to the wrong department. In roughly 2,000 cases, bureaucrats simply ignored citizens' complains altogether.

Under Russian law, officials can only be fined within three months of committing a violation, RBC reported. Older offenses warrant a formal reprimand.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more