MOSCOW. June 2 (Interfax) - The Federation Council on Wednesday passed a bill toughening the criminal liability for disclosing information on the protection of law enforcement officials and their families, as well as for illegal dissemination and use of information constituting a commercial, tax, or bank secret.
The document establishes criminal liability for officials who have access to information through their jobs on the measures taken to protect law enforcement officials, employees of supervisory bodies, and their family members and who disclose such information, regardless of their motives.
The changes amend Article 320 of the Russian Criminal Code.
Under the previous regulations, a person could only be held criminally responsible for disclosing such information if it was disseminated in order to obstruct the service of protected officials.
The punishment for such offenses has been toughened: among other things, the document envisages restriction of freedom for up to two years and up to 480 hours of community service. Previously, the relevant article only envisaged a fine in the amount of up to 200,000 rubles and up to four months of arrest.
The law also toughens the punishment for illegal disclosure or use and collection of information constituting a commercial, tax, or bank secret, increasing the maximum duration of community service or imprisonment for this offense from three years to four. Punishments in the form of a fine in the amount of up to one million rubles or the convict's revenue for a period of up to two years, deprivation of the right to work in certain positions and engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years, and up to two years of community service remain unchanged.
The document also adds more actions to the list of evidence of crimes. Collection of information constituting a commercial, tax, or bank secret will also lead to punishment if it is conducted through deceit, blackmail, or coercion.
Increased liability for the collection, dissemination, and use of this information in the form of a fine in the amount of up to 1.5 million rubles or a convict's income for a period of up to three years, deprivation of the right to work in certain positions and engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years, and community service or imprisonment for a period of up to five years will now be the case not only when massive damage is done or in situations motived by profit, but also when these offenses are committed by a group of persons by previous concert or by an organized group.