Criminal liability for forest products trafficking in Russia will be toughened

Sep 07, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Criminal liability for forest products trafficking in Russia will be toughened within the framework of the criminal code of the Russian Federation, - such measure is foreseen by a plan of action on struggle against an illegal turn of wood which has been approved on September, 6 by Valery Roschupkin and the deputy plenipotentiary of Far Eastern federal district Gennady Apanasenko and representatives of Russian power departments. The document provides toughening of control over wood transportation, control of receipt of tax payments from logging companies and also activity on timber certification. A number of measures aims on strengthening of the control over wood export, maintenance of its legality and a transparency, press-service of ministry of natural resources of Russia reported. According to the plan, aeronautic and space monitoring of timberlands of Russian Federation will be conducted in 16 federal districts in 2006, on a total area of 101.2 million hectares. It will allow to reveal precisely infringements at the organization and realization of forest utilization, to make operational decision on bringing of guilty persons to the responsibility. To allow the effectiveness of actions on struggle against the illegal turn of wood, the schemes of crimes and the offences performing in course of export operations have been considered, resulting in framing of methods of prevention of such crimes, including variants of changes of legal base of export of forest products. The center of the analysis will be created in Rosleskhoz system allowing to communicate, coordinate operatively activity on prevention of an illegal turn of wood and to make the decision on attraction of guilty persons to the responsibility. The first results will appear in November 2005 before the beginning of the international conference within the framework of Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) of Europe and Northern Asia which will take place in St.-Petersburg.