MOSCOW, December 3 (RAPSI) – Russian bailiffs have collected only 155 million rubles ($4.7 million) in fines for corruption related offenses out of the two billion rubles ($60.3 million) ordered by the courts in 2012.

These statistics were provided by Russian Supreme Court Judge Yelena Peisikova.

According to the Federal Bailiff Service, the service processed some 1,400 cases on fine enforcement to the total value of two billion rubles. “Only 37% have been closed successfully, with only 155 million rubles collected,” Peisikova said.

At the same time, according to the Supreme Court, since amendments to the law came into effect in May 2011 which stipulate a fine for corruption ranging from 25 to 100 times the amount of a bribe, there has been a significant increase in the number of fines issued by the courts.

Thus, while in 2011 nearly 50% of offenders were fined for bribery instead of serving a prison term, in 2012 fines were imposed in almost 79% of cases.

Specifically, out of the 1,442 convicts sentenced this year for bribe-taking, over a thousand were ordered to pay fines and around 150 were sent to prison. Last year, out of the total 2,093 convicted bribe-givers, some 4.8% cases resulted in imprisonment, with 86.5%, or 2,000, fined.

A similar trend has persisted in the first six months of this year.