Russian kingpins won’t sleep at night as Putin proposes game-changing bill

President Vladimir Putin wants to give crime bosses hard time. He has proposed legislation to jail crime lords just for accepting a leading position in the criminal world.

In the Russian Criminal Code, one could be jailed for organizing and leading a mob only if they are found guilty of involvement in a crime. Leaders of crime gangs often avoid punishment, as they aren’t involved in crime personally, even if their position within a gang is widely known, Putin explained in a comment on the proposal.

The new legislation would eliminate this loophole. It would make accepting or being chosen for the position of a gang boss a criminal offence, punishable by up to 15 years in jail. As kingpins are often chosen during mob boss gatherings, participation in a such meeting would also become an offence.

Currently, if police raid a meeting of mob bosses, most participants walk free because they haven’t committed a crime themselves. If the new amendment passes Parliament, the participants of such a get-together could land themselves in jail for up to 20 years.

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