Originally from The Journal of Eurasian Law (JEL)

Corruption is a foreign word, but its very manifestation has acquired veritably Russian magnitudes. The corrosive effect of bribery not only undermines the state mechanism, it kills the faith of citizens in the fairness of state power.

Introduction

In July 2010, speaking before a gathering of federal and regional legislators in the Kremlin, Russian President Dmitrii Medvedev acknowledged that his anti-corruption campaign has not yielded “significant results.”2 Ironically, Mr. Medvedev’s audience contained many persons who helped to craft his anti-corruption program, as well as those who sought to preclude its successful achievement.

It is not entirely clear what the basis is for President Medvedev’s “conclusion.”3 Official Russian judicial data, numerous statements made by public officials, and information disseminated in press releases suggests that there had been some progress in the anti-corruption efforts, albeit limited.4 Not everyone involved in the criminal justice system sought to provide a positive spin on conditions in the country. For example, Procurator General Yuri Chaika in April 2010 candidly informed the Federation Council that the crime rate in many categories of crimes, including corruption, was increasing and the number of cases solved had dropped. Mr. Chaika cast considerable doubt on the credibility of official crime data. He noted, “law enforcement officers were trying to boost crime-solving rates by failing to register crimes and attributing unsolved crimes to people without sufficient evidence.”5