WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.760 --> 00:00:04.754 Good afternoon, colleagues, 2 00:00:04.754 --> 00:00:07.365 As usual at these board meetings, 3 00:00:07.365 --> 00:00:13.529 we will discuss the prosecution agencies’ performance in 2016 and set 4 00:00:13.529 --> 00:00:16.611 the priorities for the near future. 5 00:00:16.611 --> 00:00:24.704 Last year, the prosecution agencies uncovered over 5 million crimes. 6 00:00:24.704 --> 00:00:28.986 Our work must be as effective as possible in all spheres, 7 00:00:28.986 --> 00:00:33.493 but especially when it concerns the protection of citizens’ 8 00:00:33.493 --> 00:00:35.686 constitutional rights. 9 00:00:35.686 --> 00:00:41.101 In this context, I would like to commend your operation during 10 00:00:41.101 --> 00:00:46.001 the election campaign and elections to the seventh State Duma 11 00:00:46.001 --> 00:00:48.662 and local governments. 12 00:00:48.662 --> 00:00:53.958 The prosecution agencies promptly reacted to violations of the election 13 00:00:53.958 --> 00:00:59.180 legislation and worked effectively within the scope of their authority 14 00:00:59.180 --> 00:01:01.673 during the election campaign. 15 00:01:01.673 --> 00:01:05.921 During the parliamentary election campaign, 16 00:01:05.921 --> 00:01:12.540 prosecutors registered 590 violations of citizens’ election rights. 17 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:16.527 A major part of your efforts concerns, as we know, 18 00:01:16.527 --> 00:01:22.268 the fight against extremism, terrorism and the proliferation of radical 19 00:01:22.268 --> 00:01:24.421 and nationalist ideologies. 20 00:01:24.421 --> 00:01:27.892 We discussed this at length at the meetings of the Federal Security Service Board 21 00:01:27.892 --> 00:01:29.540 and the Interior Ministry Board. 22 00:01:29.540 --> 00:01:35.067 I am confident that the Prosecutor General’s Office will 23 00:01:35.067 --> 00:01:38.363 continue combatting these threats. 24 00:01:38.363 --> 00:01:42.317 Your continuous, system-wide efforts on the socioeconomic 25 00:01:42.317 --> 00:01:44.363 front are of equal importance. 26 00:01:44.363 --> 00:01:50.244 As you know, 75 percent of labour rights violations uncovered 27 00:01:50.244 --> 00:01:53.943 by prosecutors are related to salaries. 28 00:01:53.943 --> 00:02:02.821 Last year, prosecution offices helped recover 28.5 billion rubles in unpaid wages. 29 00:02:02.821 --> 00:02:09.813 Every manager or owner who attempts to shift the burden onto 30 00:02:09.813 --> 00:02:15.888 the workers must understand that he or she will face 31 00:02:15.888 --> 00:02:18.539 inexorable consequences. 32 00:02:18.539 --> 00:02:23.047 At the same time, let me reiterate, as I have already said, 33 00:02:23.047 --> 00:02:27.250 that entrepreneurs acting in good faith should receive 34 00:02:27.250 --> 00:02:29.771 all-round support from the state. 35 00:02:29.771 --> 00:02:33.444 In this regard, I would like to commend your efforts to shield 36 00:02:33.444 --> 00:02:37.666 businesses from groundless inspections and various kinds of quibbles. 37 00:02:37.666 --> 00:02:41.417 I ask you to keep paying particular attention to this issue. 38 00:02:41.417 --> 00:02:46.425 Apart from timely payment of salaries, pensions and benefits, 39 00:02:46.425 --> 00:02:51.925 you must also keep a close eye on the housing and utilities sector. 40 00:02:51.925 --> 00:02:56.418 It is necessary to promptly respond to complaints regarding exaggerated 41 00:02:56.418 --> 00:02:59.912 utilities bills or violations related to the collection 42 00:02:59.912 --> 00:03:02.221 of contributions for capital repairs, 43 00:03:02.221 --> 00:03:04.842 and poor quality of services in this area. 44 00:03:04.842 --> 00:03:09.337 Unjustified price hikes on essential food products 45 00:03:09.337 --> 00:03:12.809 and drugs deserve special attention. 46 00:03:12.809 --> 00:03:16.623 This calls for a delicate approach, 47 00:03:16.623 --> 00:03:21.186 since inflation inevitably pushes prices up in various sectors. 48 00:03:21.186 --> 00:03:24.034 However, what I am talking about is unjustified, 49 00:03:24.034 --> 00:03:26.908 overblown prices. We need to crack down on low-quality, 50 00:03:26.908 --> 00:03:28.110 counterfeited products. 51 00:03:28.110 --> 00:03:32.512 Of course, we must make sure that vulnerable social groups benefit from 52 00:03:32.512 --> 00:03:35.630 a reliable safety net, including seniors, children, 53 00:03:35.630 --> 00:03:39.115 families with many children and people with disabilities. 54 00:03:39.115 --> 00:03:42.722 You see how people respond to all cases of unfair treatment, 55 00:03:42.722 --> 00:03:45.727 indifference and callous behaviour by bureaucrats. 56 00:03:45.727 --> 00:03:49.798 It is the prosecutor office’s task to gain a detailed insight into each 57 00:03:49.798 --> 00:03:51.607 and every incident of this kind. 58 00:03:51.607 --> 00:03:57.355 It is important to identify system-wide legal and enforcement issues 59 00:03:57.355 --> 00:04:02.021 in order to prevent any conditions and risks that could 60 00:04:02.021 --> 00:04:04.947 result in a violation of rights. 61 00:04:04.947 --> 00:04:09.808 Colleagues, another major goal is to fight corruption 62 00:04:09.808 --> 00:04:11.699 and crime in general. 63 00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:16.994 This calls for systematic, professional work at all stages, 64 00:04:16.994 --> 00:04:21.571 from preventing crime to pressing charges in court. 65 00:04:21.571 --> 00:04:27.831 Last year, 3,800 criminal proceedings were instituted on corruption 66 00:04:27.831 --> 00:04:32.066 charges following prosecutors’ investigations. 67 00:04:32.066 --> 00:04:34.989 We must continue to tighten control, 68 00:04:34.989 --> 00:04:39.212 enhance financial discipline and prevent the misuse, 69 00:04:39.212 --> 00:04:45.059 squandering or embezzlement of budget funds in the sphere of government 70 00:04:45.059 --> 00:04:47.820 procurement, state defence orders, 71 00:04:47.820 --> 00:04:52.205 state property management and infrastructure projects. 72 00:04:52.205 --> 00:04:55.942 I ask you to work closely with the concerned ministries 73 00:04:55.942 --> 00:04:59.145 and departments, the FSB, the Interior Ministry, 74 00:04:59.145 --> 00:05:03.014 the Taxation Service and the Financial Monitoring Service. 75 00:05:03.014 --> 00:05:06.792 We must also develop international cooperation, 76 00:05:06.792 --> 00:05:11.132 sign more agreements and improve the system of mutual 77 00:05:11.132 --> 00:05:14.266 assistance with our foreign colleagues. 78 00:05:14.266 --> 00:05:18.806 I would like to conclude by saying that our citizens mostly judge 79 00:05:18.806 --> 00:05:23.482 the state’s ability to protect their interests and uphold the truth 80 00:05:23.482 --> 00:05:27.609 and justice by the effectiveness of the prosecution service. 81 00:05:27.609 --> 00:05:31.003 We must live up to people’s expectations, 82 00:05:31.003 --> 00:05:33.369 working every day towards this. 83 00:05:33.369 --> 00:05:37.366 I expect you to take an uncompromising and firm stand 84 00:05:37.366 --> 00:05:39.589 and to remain loyal to your duty. 85 00:05:39.589 --> 00:05:41.937 Thank you for your work and I wish you every success. 86 00:05:41.937 --> 00:05:43.380 Thank you very much. 87 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:49.576 Colleagues, 88 00:05:49.576 --> 00:05:54.607 To conclude this part, let me add just a few words. 89 00:05:54.607 --> 00:06:03.051 We are all well aware that in Russia the prosecutor’s office plays 90 00:06:03.051 --> 00:06:08.756 a special, unique role in public governance. 91 00:06:08.756 --> 00:06:13.171 Perhaps, there is no other country in the world where the prosecutor’s 92 00:06:13.171 --> 00:06:15.658 office occupies such an important place, 93 00:06:15.658 --> 00:06:17.936 and even if this is the case somewhere, 94 00:06:17.936 --> 00:06:22.026 it is usually no more than a copy of the Russian or Soviet experience. 95 00:06:22.026 --> 00:06:24.489 As you know, the prosecutor’s office was established 96 00:06:24.489 --> 00:06:25.558 as the sovereign’s eye. 97 00:06:25.558 --> 00:06:28.658 Fortunately, our country is a republic, not a monarchy, 98 00:06:28.658 --> 00:06:32.716 which means that the prosecutor’s office should be the government’s eye 99 00:06:32.716 --> 00:06:36.210 when it comes to making sure that the interests of the people 100 00:06:36.210 --> 00:06:39.723 and the state as an institution are respected. 101 00:06:39.723 --> 00:06:43.337 The scope of your activity is extremely broad, 102 00:06:43.337 --> 00:06:47.912 covering almost every possible sphere of human activity where the state 103 00:06:47.912 --> 00:06:51.487 is represented and the law exists. 104 00:06:51.487 --> 00:06:55.400 The prosecutor’s office is tasked with ensuring compliance with the law. 105 00:06:55.400 --> 00:07:02.468 As you may know, there are countries aspiring to global leadership, 106 00:07:02.468 --> 00:07:06.899 or to be more precise to global dominance, 107 00:07:06.899 --> 00:07:13.193 who started creating so-called anti-corruption committees. 108 00:07:13.193 --> 00:07:18.797 These parallel government institutions more often than not are used 109 00:07:18.797 --> 00:07:23.742 for a completely different purpose of staging manipulations 110 00:07:23.742 --> 00:07:25.473 in domestic politics. 111 00:07:25.473 --> 00:07:28.508 Of course, Russia would never tolerate the creation of anything of this 112 00:07:28.508 --> 00:07:32.002 kind, but in some countries, including in Eastern Europe, 113 00:07:32.002 --> 00:07:34.880 similar structures have already been formed. 114 00:07:34.880 --> 00:07:41.008 In order to be able to benefit the people and the state, you must be 115 00:07:41.008 --> 00:07:43.451 a) completely and totally honest, and  116 00:07:43.451 --> 00:07:47.339 b) effective in fighting corruption and infringements 117 00:07:47.339 --> 00:07:49.702 in the broadest possible sense. 118 00:07:49.702 --> 00:07:54.520 Let me once again thank you for your work in 2016. 119 00:07:54.520 --> 00:07:58.584 I count on your efforts in 2017 and in the years to come. 120 00:07:58.584 --> 00:08:00.240 Thank you very much.