Russia President Vladimir Putin (Photo courtesy of the Kremlin)Russia’s State Duma is considering a bill to protect whistleblowers who report corruption by state officials to police or the media.
Amendments to the existing anti-corruption law have been proposed by MP Ilya Kostunov of United Russia, RT reported Wednesday.
He’s a member of the lower house of parliament’s security and anti-corruption committee.
“According to Kostunov, many people who report cases of corruption within their work environment are forced to quit their jobs by their bosses. The new bill should help protect these people,” Kostunov said.
Current whistleblower protection rules aren’t being enforced, he said.
“There is a presidential decree that enacts protection for those who report corruption cases. According to this decree, anti-corruption fighters can only be fired by a prosecutor’s order, and they should also be guaranteed free legal assistance. But these rules are widely being flouted,” Kostunov said.
The amended law would sanction managers who penalize anti-corruption whistleblower by requiring the firing of bosses who retaliate against state employees.S
Under current law, state officials accused of corruption can only be fired for a “loss of confidence,” which is not enough to launch a criminal case, RT said.
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