The convention was drawn up in the Council of Europe and was signed by the Russian Federation on January 27, 1999, in Strasbourg. As at March 23, 2006, 32 countries had become parties to the convention and another 15 countries had yet to ratify it. The convention’s ratification will help enhance the legal base for combating corruption in the Russian Federation and will add to the international community’s efforts in this area. It will also be an important step on the road to Russia’s continued integration into the common European legal space.
The convention contains provisions criminalising acts that fall under the heading of corruption (articles 2–14) and regulates legal assistance and extradition measures (articles 26–27).
In accordance with item 3 of article 32 of the convention, once the convention comes into force in the Russian Federation, Russia will automatically become a member of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), created to monitor the signatory states’ compliance with their anti-corruption obligations.