Penza, 9 December 2014. PenzaNews. The corrupt officials incurred 112 million 254 thousand rubles of damages to the Penza region in 2014. As Yuliya Makarova, Senior Assistant Attorney of the Penza region in Media Relations, told PenzaNews agency on Tuesday, December 9, “The damages in 2013 amounted to 16 million 490 thousand rubles.”

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According to her, the prosecutor’s office uncovered over 2,900 anti-bribery law violations that led to 388 protests, 109 case reports, 830 reports, and 872 officials punished.

“The law enforcement forces uncovered 275 corruption-related crimes, including 50 briberies, during the 11 months of this year. The courts received 155 criminal cases against 156 persons. 172 persons were found guilty, including 7 internal forces activists, 3 executors, 1 attorney, 17 regional officials, and 53 persons working in commercial and miscellaneous organizations,” the agency interlocutor clarified.

Yulia Makarova explained that most of these cases involve abusing one’s powers in state or commercial organizations and seizing and wasting entrusted property.

“Corruption-related cases were located in different areas: state organizations, local authorities, supervision institutions, healthcare clinics, education facilities, business bodies and beyond,” said she.

December 9 is International Day Against Corruption, as pronounced by the UN.

On that day in 2003, a high-level political summit in Merida, Mexico, presented the UN Convention Against Corruption that was adopted by the General Assembly on November 1.

This statement calls for its signatories to criminalize bribery, state resources theft and money laundering. According to one of the points in the convention, embezzled funds must be returned to the country of origin.

The 2003 convention is the first document of its kind.