10,000 Chechen residents forbidden to leave Russia because of their debts

In 2016, the lists of residents "forbidden to leave Russia" included names of 10,000 residents of Chechnya with debts exceeding 10,000 roubles for utilities, fines, loans, and child support payments.

According to the Department for Chechnya of the Russian Federal Court Marshal Service, in the first half of 2016, slightly more than 3400 people were included in the lists of persons forbidden to leave the country because of their debts.

Officials from the Russian Federal Court Marshal Service have explained that an administrative fine is to be paid within a month; otherwise the appropriate data arrive to the Court Marshal Service.

A court marshal has also noted that in order to get permission to leave the country, a debtor should not only pay down the debt, but also provide an appropriate paper to a court marshal to confirm debt payment.

Residents of Chechnya are dissatisfied with such measures. Sultan, a resident of the Chechen Republic, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he was supposed to leave for Baku on business, but he failed to leave the republic because of his "insignificant" debt on public services and the need to get an appropriate paper to confirm the debt payment.

Some local residents believe that "officials of the Court Marshal Service, like other public institutions, often impose restrictions on citizens in order to show higher figures in their reports."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.