Journal section JURISPRUDENCE
Theoretical and practical problems of applying Art. 291. 1 of the Criminal Code due to the imperfection of its legislative structure
The article examines the problems of applying the norm, fixing the criminal liability for
intermediation in bribery, due to the imperfection of the legislative structure 291.1 of the
Criminal Code. The author considers the main forms of intermediation in bribery: physical
and intellectual. Particular attention is paid to the sign of a significant size of the subject of
the bribe, which is of fundamental importance for assessing the act under this article. It is
noted that according to the current version of Art. 291.1 of the Criminal Code intermediation
in giving or receiving a bribe in an amount not exceeding 25 thousand rubles cannot form
the specified corpus delicti. It is emphasized that intermediation in bribery in the absence
of a sign of significant size cannot form complicity in receiving or giving a bribe. In this
regard the author considers it inappropriate to indicate a significant amount in part 1 of
Art. 291.1 of the Criminal Code.
The article also considers the problem of a broad interpretation of physical
intermediation in giving and (or) receiving a bribe. The provisions of Part 5 of Art. 291.1 of
the Criminal Code, which establish criminal liability for a promise or offer of inter mediation
in bribery, are analysed. The author notes that the groundlessness of the lack of guidance
in Part 5 of Art. 291.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on a significant size
of the subject of a bribe allows us to talk about the establishment of criminal liability for
preparation for intermediation in bribery, regardless of the size of the subject of a bribe. In
this regard it is proposed to exclude part 5 of Art. 291.1 from the Criminal Code.
Keywords: intermediation in bribery; receiving a bribe; giving a bribe; official; significant size
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Head of the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology of the North-West Institute (branch) of the O. E. Kutafin University (Moscow State Law Academy), PhD. in Law, Associate Professor
, e-mail evger.vologda@mail.ru
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pravonarusheniyah v svyazi s sovershenstvovaniem gosudarstvennogo upravleniya v oblasti protivodejstviya korrupcii [On
amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and the Code of Administrative Offenses in connection with
the improvement of public administration in the field of anti-corruption]. Available at: http://asozd2.duma.gov.ru/main.nsf/
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vzyatochnichestve i ob inyh korrupcionnyh prestupleniyah» [Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian
Federation from 09.07.2013 No. 24 «On judicial practice in cases of bribery and other corruption crimes»]. Byulleten’
Verhovnogo Suda Rossijskoj Federacii – Bulletin of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, 2013, no. 9, pp. 2–7. (In
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ocenki [The objective side of bribery: problems of interpretation and criminal law assessment]. Ugolovnoe sudoproizvodstvo:
problemy teorii i praktiki – Criminal proceedings: problems of theory and practice, 2018, no. 1, pp. 56–60. (In Russ.).
13. Oficial’nyj otzyv Verhovnogo Suda Rossijskoj Federacii na proekt federal’nogo zakona «O vnesenii izmenenij v otdel’nye
akty Rossijskoj Federacii v svyazi s sovershenstvovaniem gosudarstvennogo upravleniya v oblasti protivodejstviya korrupcii»
ot 16.08.2010 № 1/obshch-2878 [Official review of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on the draft federal law
“On Amending Certain Acts of the Russian Federation in Connection with the Improvement of Public Administration in the
Field of Counteraction Corruption” from 08.16.2010 No. 1/ общ-2878]. Available at: http://asozd2.duma.gov.ru/main.nsf/
%28SpravkaNew%29?OpenAgent&RN=502299-5&02 (accessed 22.02.2018). (In Russ.).
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vzyatochnichestve [Imaginary and real tightening of criminal liability for mediation in bribery]. Aktual’nye problemy
ekonomiki i prava – Actual problems of economics and law, 2015, no. 4 (36), pp. 76–82. (In Russ.).
15. Tkachev, O. I. Otvetstvennost’ za obeshchanie ili predlozhenie posrednichestva vo vzyatochnichestve [Responsibility
for a promise or offer of mediation in bribery]. Rossijskaya yusticiya – Russian justice, 2012, no. 3, pp. 35–37. (In Russ.).
16. SHemetova L. YU. YUridicheskij analiz ob»ektivnoj storony posrednichestva vo vzyatochnichestve [Legal analysis of the
objective side of mediation in bribery]. Nauka i sovremennost’ – Science and Modernity, 2016, no. 44, pp. 201–207. (In
Russ.).
17. YAni P. S. Problemy kvalifikacii posrednichestva vo vzyatochnichestve [Qualification issues of mediation in bribery].
Zakonnost’ – Legality, 2013, no. 2, pp. 24–29. (In Russ.).
the rules on liability for bribery: problems of application]. Ugolovnoe pravo – Criminal law, 2011, no. 4, pp. 9–14. (In Russ.).
2. Garbatovich, D. Posrednichestvo vo vzyatochnichestve preobrazovannyj vid posobnichestva [Mediation in bribery is a
transformed form of aiding]. Ugolovnoe pravo – Criminal law, 2011, no. 5, pp. 4–8. (In Russ.).
3. Golovin A. YU., Bugaevskaya N. V. Problemnye voprosy kvalifikacii prestuplenij po stat’yam 290, 291, 291.1 Ugolovnogo
kodeksa Rossijskoj Federacii [Problematic issues of qualification of crimes under articles 290, 291, 291.1 of the Criminal
Code of the Russian Federation]. Izvestiya Tul’skogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Ekonomicheskie i yuridicheskie nauki
– Bulletin of Tula State University. Economic and legal sciences, 2013, no. 1–2, pp. 12–16. (In Russ.).
4. Dannye sudebnoj statistiki po delam korrupcionnoj napravlennosti [Judicial statistics on corruption issues]. Available at:
http://www.cdep.ru/index.php?id=150 (accessed 22.02.2018). (In Russ.).
5. Zvyagincev V. V., Rykova YU. V. Problemy povysheniya effektivnosti ugolovno-pravovogo regulirovaniya protivodejstviya
posrednichestvu vo vzyatochnichestve [Problems of increasing the effectiveness of the criminal law regulation of
counteraction to mediation in bribery]. Prestupnost’, ugolovnaya politika, zakon [Crime, Criminal Policy, Law]. Moscow,
2016, pp. 327–332. (In Russ.).
6. Izosimov S. V. Ugolovno-pravovye sredstva protivodejstviya korrupcii i vzyatochnichestvu: sovremennoe sostoyanie i
problemy sovershenstvovaniya [Criminal and legal means of combating corruption and bribery: current status and problems
of improvement]. YUridicheskaya tekhnika – Legal Technique, 2012, no. 6, pp. 191–197. (In Russ.).
7. Kapinus O. Izmeneniya v zakonodatel’stve o dolzhnostnyh prestupleniyah: voprosy kvalifikacii i osvobozhdeniya
vzyatkodatelya ot otvetstvennosti [Changes in the legislation on official crimes: issues of qualification and release of a bribe
giver from liability]. Ugolovnoe pravo – Criminal law, 2011, no. 2, pp. 21–26. (In Russ.).
8. Lepihin M. O. Posrednichestvo vo vzyatochnichestve v svete dopolnenij, vnesennyh v Ugolovnyj kodeks RF [Mediation
in bribery in the light of the amendments made to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation]. Aktual’nye problemy
rossijskogo prava – Actual problems of Russian law, 2017, no. 4, pp. 110–115. (In Russ.).
9. Moiseenko M. I. Aktual’nye voprosy ugolovnoj otvetstvennosti za posrednichestvo vo vzyatochnichestve [Actual issues
of criminal liability for mediation in bribery]. YUridicheskaya nauka i pravoohranitel’naya praktika – Jurisprudence and law
enforcement practice, 2012, no. 4 (22), pp. 45–55. (In Russ.).
10. O vnesenii izmenenij v Ugolovnyj kodeks Rossijskoj Federacii i Kodeks Rossijskoj Federacii ob administrativnyh
pravonarusheniyah v svyazi s sovershenstvovaniem gosudarstvennogo upravleniya v oblasti protivodejstviya korrupcii [On
amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and the Code of Administrative Offenses in connection with
the improvement of public administration in the field of anti-corruption]. Available at: http://asozd2.duma.gov.ru/main.nsf/
%28SpravkaNew%29?OpenAgent&RN=502299-5&02 (accessed 22.02.2018). (In Russ.).
11. Postanovlenie Plenuma Verhovnogo Suda Rossijskoj Federacii ot 09.07.2013 № 24 «O sudebnoj praktike po delam o
vzyatochnichestve i ob inyh korrupcionnyh prestupleniyah» [Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian
Federation from 09.07.2013 No. 24 «On judicial practice in cases of bribery and other corruption crimes»]. Byulleten’
Verhovnogo Suda Rossijskoj Federacii – Bulletin of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, 2013, no. 9, pp. 2–7. (In
Russ.).
12. Obrazhiev K. V., CHashin K. V. Ob»ektivnaya storona vo vzyatochnichestve: problemy interpretacii i ugolovno-pravovoj
ocenki [The objective side of bribery: problems of interpretation and criminal law assessment]. Ugolovnoe sudoproizvodstvo:
problemy teorii i praktiki – Criminal proceedings: problems of theory and practice, 2018, no. 1, pp. 56–60. (In Russ.).
13. Oficial’nyj otzyv Verhovnogo Suda Rossijskoj Federacii na proekt federal’nogo zakona «O vnesenii izmenenij v otdel’nye
akty Rossijskoj Federacii v svyazi s sovershenstvovaniem gosudarstvennogo upravleniya v oblasti protivodejstviya korrupcii»
ot 16.08.2010 № 1/obshch-2878 [Official review of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on the draft federal law
“On Amending Certain Acts of the Russian Federation in Connection with the Improvement of Public Administration in the
Field of Counteraction Corruption” from 08.16.2010 No. 1/ общ-2878]. Available at: http://asozd2.duma.gov.ru/main.nsf/
%28SpravkaNew%29?OpenAgent&RN=502299-5&02 (accessed 22.02.2018). (In Russ.).
14. Rogova E. V., Zabavko R. A. Mnimoe i real’noe uzhestochenie ugolovnoj otvetstvennosti za posrednichestvo vo
vzyatochnichestve [Imaginary and real tightening of criminal liability for mediation in bribery]. Aktual’nye problemy
ekonomiki i prava – Actual problems of economics and law, 2015, no. 4 (36), pp. 76–82. (In Russ.).
15. Tkachev, O. I. Otvetstvennost’ za obeshchanie ili predlozhenie posrednichestva vo vzyatochnichestve [Responsibility
for a promise or offer of mediation in bribery]. Rossijskaya yusticiya – Russian justice, 2012, no. 3, pp. 35–37. (In Russ.).
16. SHemetova L. YU. YUridicheskij analiz ob»ektivnoj storony posrednichestva vo vzyatochnichestve [Legal analysis of the
objective side of mediation in bribery]. Nauka i sovremennost’ – Science and Modernity, 2016, no. 44, pp. 201–207. (In
Russ.).
17. YAni P. S. Problemy kvalifikacii posrednichestva vo vzyatochnichestve [Qualification issues of mediation in bribery].
Zakonnost’ – Legality, 2013, no. 2, pp. 24–29. (In Russ.).
