Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday ordered the government to consider the use of fines to deal with endemic corruption.
He said fines should be proportional to the size of the bribe taken and that a fine calculated in multiples of the bribe would be a more effective method of fighting corruption than the confiscation of property.
He said confiscation "is a rather complicated thing from the point of view of criminal law and procedure."
He directed his staff and the government to study the matter and "submit proposals."
Medvedev has said bribery is one of the greatest impediments to Russia's investment climate and pledged to fight corruption when he assumed office in May 2008, highlighting the issue as one of the country's most serious problems.
Russia ranked 146th of 180 in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2009, below countries like Nigeria and Ecuador. It moved up one place from 2008, when it was ranked 147th.
MOSCOW, April 6 (RIA Novosti)
