MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia's contract debt under the state defense order declined by $1.8 billion last year, Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chayka's report on the state of law and order obtained by Sputnik states.
"Inspections carried out within the framework of executing the Russian president's orders allowed to reduce the amount of overdue accounts under state contracts for the supply of weapons, military and special equipment by more than 100 billion rubles [$1.8 billion]," according to the report.
The the lowered debt was part of the prosecutor office's joint efforts with other state bodies to consolidate financial discipline, improve the defense order's implementation and reduce outstanding contractual debt obligations.
Prosecutors Look Into Arctic Environmental Law Compliance Monitoring Office
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office is looking into forming a dedicated office to supervise compliance with environmental law in the Arctic, the report obtained by Sputnik states.
"At present, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office is considering the issue of establishing a specialized prosecutor's office to oversee the implementation of environmental legislation in the Arctic zone," it reads.
Prosecution Drafts Data Access Mechanism on Officials' Foreign Bank Accounts
The report notes that a total of 12 violations of a ban on opening and having accounts (deposits), storing money and valuables in foreign banks, and using foreign financial instruments, were uncovered in 2016.
"The Russian Prosecutor General's Office prepared proposals on regulating a mechanism to obtain the necessary information from abroad and for its use to verify compliance with the requirements of anti-corruption legislation," the report reads.
Prosecutor General Notes Increased International Legal Cooperation
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office is intensifying efforts on international legal cooperation of law enforcement agencies.
"In matters of combating crime, especially in its organized forms, international legal cooperation of law enforcement agencies takes center stage. In this regard, the Prosecutor General's Office takes measures to intensify the work in the designated area," the report reads.
It notes growing positive legal cooperation with Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Serbia and Montenegro.
Extraditions from non-CIS countries in 2016 have grown by 68.3 percent, according to the report.
Prosecutor Office's Interpol Wanted List Requests Up by 60% in 2016
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office international wanted list requests through Interpol have grown by almost 60 percent last year.
"In 2016, compared to 2015, the number of Russian Prosecutor General's Office orders to place persons on an international wanted list for the purpose of arrests and extraditions through Interpol channels increased by 57.8 percent," the report says.
The growth is caused by an increase in the number of people, who left the country to take part in hostilities in Syria, wanted on grounds of committing terrorist crimes, according to the report. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office cooperates with more than 80 countries on criminal justice.
"Cooperation in the field of criminal justice is carried out by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office with foreign partners in more than 80 countries," the report reads.
International cooperation places importance on matters of extradition and legal assistance, including the return of criminally obtained property from abroad, the report notes.
Terrorist Crimes Up by 45% in 2016
Terrorist crimes increased by 45 percent in Russia last year, explained by the number of Russian and foreign citizens fighting alongside militants in Syria and Iraq.
"In 2016, 2,227 terrorist crimes (+44.8 percent) and 1,450 extremist crimes (+9.1 percent) were counted," the report reads.
The report also attributes the growth to "the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies in revealing the involvement of Russian and foreign citizens in illegal armed formations and terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq."
Nearly $1Bln in Foreign Assets Seized in 2016 at Prosecution's Request
Nearly $1 billion of defendants' overseas assets and real estate were seized at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office last year.
"At the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, funds totaling about 600 million euros ($652 million) and real estate totaling 300 million euros ($326) were seized and blocked," the report reads.
Prosecutor's Office Inspects Arms Deficiencies Found in Syria Campaign
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office continues inspecting weapons and military hardware deficiencies uncovered during their use in Syria, the prosecutor general's report on states.
"Inspections continue on identified weapons and military equipment deficiencies during the military operation in the Syrian Arab Republic," it report says.
