Russian area gives prizes to policemen for refusing bribes

(MENAFN) Police officers in Russia’s Rostov Region are now being rewarded with the exact sum of any bribe they refuse, a senior official has revealed. Aleksandr Rechitsky, head of the region’s Interior Ministry branch, announced on Tuesday that this initiative aims to strengthen anti-corruption efforts.

Under Rechitsky’s directive, any money offered as a bribe is legally transferred in full to the officer who rejects it. He noted that criminal charges are being pursued against those attempting to bribe law enforcement, with over 25 such cases opened in the past two months.

The program is intended to motivate officers, especially in cases involving smaller bribes often linked to traffic violations or minor civil offenses. Rechitsky shared that police documented 767 corruption-related offenses in the first half of the year, many tied to economic crimes. Of these, 260 bribery attempts were thwarted, with 135 exposed by Interior Ministry personnel.

Former officer Ivan Artamonov told Rossiyskaya Gazeta that these rewards typically match bribes ranging from 25,000 to 150,000 rubles ($321 to $2,000). However, defense attorney Dmitry Ivanov noted that verifying the bribe amount is legally complex.

Similar anti-corruption incentive schemes have been trialed before in regions like Moscow and Tatarstan, where officers have even been rewarded with housing for uncovering bribery cases.

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