Russians Charged with Banditry, Corruption or Slander Far More Likely to Be Let Off than Those Accused of Other Crimes

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 10 – Only 0.2 percent – one in 500 – of Russians brought to court on criminal charges are not convicted, but those charged with forming criminal gangs or banditry, slander, corruption and money laundering are far more likely to be found not guilty, according to a new study by the RBK news agency.

            After examining criminal cases across the country, it found that “almost 850” of those accused last year of forming criminal groups or engaging in banditry. That means that almost a third in this category were let go. The news agency found roughly similar figures for those charged with slander or corruption (rbc.ru/society/10/06/2020/5ed4d7099a79473ae5758b88).

            These figures mean that Russians charged with all other crimes such as theft, assault and battery, rape and murder are almost certain to be convicted, as those charged with these crimes but let off form a significant portion of the tiny fraction of all those charged but found not guilty by the courts.

            There are several reasons for this pattern. First, as many experts told RBK, the laws governing these crimes are often poorly drawn, either overly broad or lacking in the kind of specifics that make it possible for investigators and prosecutors to prove their cases. As a result, prosecutors are unable to get convictions.

            Second, some of these are white collar crimes; and it is certainly possible that some of those who are brought to trial are able either to get those in power to intervene on their behalf in an especially ugly form of telephone justice or to count on a kind of corporate solidarity with judges.

            And third, there are often other charges prosecutors can bring and get convictions; and so they may forgo doing the hard work to win on these when they can far more easily collect the evidence needed for related crimes.  The RBK analysts say judges may have an impact on this pattern as well, choosing to boost conviction rates on some while lowering them on others.

            Until Russian laws are better drafted, investigators and prosecutors better funded and more committed to doing their jobs, and judges no longer so reluctant to find against the government, this pattern is unlikely to change. And because that is the case, many charged settle before a hearing, thus making the figures cited even more significant.