Provision on criminal liability for complying with Western sanctions on Russian territory may be removed from bill - Volodin
MOSCOW. July 10 (Interfax) - Russian MPs may remove the provision criminalizing compliance with Western anti-Russian sanctions in the country from a draft bill that is currently under consideration in the lower house of the Russian parliament, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said.
"Everyone, including the business community, experts and deputies, have reached consensus on the second part of the bill [concerning criminal liability for incitement to introducing anti-Russian sanctions]," Volodin told reporters on Tuesday.
As for the first part of the bill, which, if enacted, will amend the Russian Criminal Code with regard to criminalizing anti-Russian sanctions' implementation on Russian territory, "we have adjusted our opinion further to that dialogue that we had with business people and the expert community and we believe that this article should either be left within the limits of administrative liability or be removed in general," Volodin said. When requested by Interfax to clarify whether this provision may be completely removed from the draft bill, Volodin said yes.
"Our goal is to create conditions for attracting investments and to do the best to have their figures grow," he said.
Presently, debate is underway on whether it is reasonable to keep administrative liability for businesses complying with anti-Russian sanctions on Russian territory, Volodin went on. As for those who call for introducing sanctions and commit such actions (referred to in the second part of the bill) intentionally, "the business community primarily raises the question of the need to punish such acts," he said.
Volodin did not rule out that the State Duma may consider this bill before the end of the spring session ending in late July.