Russia has opted out of a European convention on fighting corruption, a move that comes in the wake of its withdrawal from the Council of Europe following start of Moscow’s military action in UkraineMOSCOW -- Russia on Monday opted out of a European convention on fighting corruption, a move that comes in the wake of its withdrawal from the Council of Europe following start of Moscow’s military action in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, to terminate adherence to the Council of Europe's convention on fighting corruption that Russia signed in 1999. Moscow backed out of the European Convention on Human Rights in September. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia's withdrawal from the anti-corruption convention wouldn't hinder official efforts to combat graft. He added that Russia will continue anti-corruption cooperation with “friendly” countries and noted that such cooperation with “unfriendly” nations have ground to a halt anyway.

Source: ABC News January 09, 2023 21:08 UTC