Lawyers note Chechnya's specifics in inquiries into corruption cases

The investigation published by the "Important Stories"* about the real estates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that may belong to Chechen officials, is the basis for holding inspections, the journalists and lawyers interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe. However, in their opinion, in the realities of Chechnya, it is impossible to bring these officials to justice, even if the facts released in the investigation are confirmed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that people from the retinue of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, own apartments and villas in Dubai worth from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars, the investigation published on May 3 by the "Important Stories"* asserts.

According to Mikhail Maglov, an investigative journalist and the editor of the "Scanner Project", who refers to the law, when it comes to officials, the very fact that their real estates were found abroad but not announced in their tax declarations is a 100% basis for their dismissal. "If the real estates are very significant, then there should be an inquiry and a study of the origin of their money," Mr Maglov has stated, adding, however, that the law enforcement practice of recent years is not encouraging; and in Chechnya, Russian laws do not always work.

Ilya Shumanov, a lawyer and director general of the "Transparency International-Russia"** Centre for Anti-Corruption Studies and Initiatives, believes that the investigation of the "Important Stories"* deserves attention.

In case of the officials who fail to declare their real estates abroad, a decision should be made in the form of dismissal due to loss of confidence, provided for in the Russian anti-corruption legislation, the source has explained. "However, the first aspect in this case is a separate Chechen story, where even the violations associated with Ramzan Kadyrov <...> have never resulted in an internal examination. All this is not regulated by the anti-corruption legislation, but is left at the mercy of Ramzan Kadyrov. And he manages this by his own, with members of his inner circle, making decisions regarding officials' dismissals," Mr Shumanov has stated.

*The outlet has been recognized as a foreign mass medium acting as a foreign agent.

**In April 2015, the "Transparency International-Russia" was included into the register of non-commercial organizations (NCOs) performing the functions of a "foreign agent".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 11, 2022 at 11:38 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.