According to the new law, the controls will apply to "purchases of land or other real estate property, vehicles, securities and stocks, if their amount exceeds the income of the purchaser and his or her spouse¹ for the three years immediately preceding the transaction."

 

Officials will have to declare not only their own spending, but also the spending of their spouses² and underage children. The source of funds for the acquisition（获得物） of any property will need to be justified³. Failing to do so will result in the official being fired and the property confiscated⁴.

 

The law also introduces criminal liability for failure to pay a fine that is envisaged⁵（设想，面对） as the main punishment for officials unable to prove the legality of their property acquisition. Penalties include house arrest or community service, with no jail time stipulated⁶ in this case.

 

The new provisions will go into effect on January 1, 2013, and they will apply to transactions entered into in 2012. When filing tax returns in April 2013, officials will have to declare not only their 2012 income, as usual, but also their expenses during that period.

 

The new law will apply to parliament deputies, senators, government ministers and regional and municipal officials, as well as to Central Bank and Pension Fund employees. According to Vladimir Vasilyev, deputy Duma speaker and head of the United Russia faction⁷ in the Duma, the amendments⁸ will affect almost 10 million people.

 

The government’s representative at federal courts, Mikhail Barshchevsky, estimates that, to control the spending of 10 million officials, the government will need to set up a special department with a staff of at least 300,000 people.

 

"The number of officials falling under this law should be cut to at least 100,000; the law should apply only to ministers, governors, police chiefs, chief judges and prosecutors," Barshchevsky told Ekho Moskvy radio.

 

"If a governor and a vice-governor are not corrupt⁹, they’ll make sure that department heads don’t embezzle¹⁰ money. They won’t allow their subordinates to be stealing and living richer lives than them," the government representative said.

 

Barshchevsky also noted¹¹ that officials already declare their property, along with their incomes. "You can see what property an official has bought in the past year, if you compare their property and income reports for the past two years," Barshchevsky said.

点击收听单词发音