MOSCOW, March 30 (RIA Novosti) - Forty officials from the administration of Moscow were caught last year taking bribes, while 80 criminal cases on corruption-related charges are pending consideration, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
“Last year alone, 40 Moscow administration officials were convicted of a criminal offence. Moreover, there are currently 80 criminal cases pending consideration,” Sobyanin said in an interview with Russia’s NTV television channel.
According to the mayor, most of the corruption cases were registered in the sphere of housing and public utilities services, particularly, during signing of contracts with various contractors.
Russia ranked 133rd of 174 countries in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index by the Transparency International watchdog, alongside Iran, Kazakhstan and Honduras.
According to a November opinion poll by VTsIOM, 38 percent of Russians believe the country’s anti-corruption campaign has not produced any meaningful results, with 13 percent saying corruption keeps getting worse.
