14 March 2017, 11:18 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia should maintain its course on countering corruption, as a total of 3,800 bribery cases were opened in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.
"Last year, as a result of the prosecutor's investigations, 3,800 criminal corruption-related cases were initiated in the spheres of state procurement, defense orders, state property management and implementation of the infrastructure projects," Putin said at the Prosecutor General's Office panel.
Putin stressed that the fight against corruption is an important issue which requires "competent, professional work on all the stages, starting from crime prevention."
In December 2016, Putin stressed in his annual parliamentary address the importance of further development of democratic institutes and civil society in Russia to protect rights and curb corruption.
