MOSCOW, July 18 (RAPSI) – The lower house of Russian parliament adopted a bill toughening sanctions for forging documents in a final third reading on Thursday, according to the information published on the State Duma website.

Under the bill, the forgery of a citizen passport or certificates according rights or releasing a person from duties for their further use or sale would result in custodial restraint for up to 3 years, community service for up to 3 years or imprisonment for up to 3 years, instead of present terms of up to 2 years.

Moreover, buying, keeping, transportation of these documents in order to use or sell them would be punished with prison or community service terms of up to 1 year.

Responsibility for forging documents, blank sheets and seals as well as false representation for obtaining passports and other identity documents would be toughened as well; individual offenders would face fines ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles while officials would be fined from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles ($80 - 160).

Currently, administrative fines for these violations range from 100 to 300 rubles for individuals and from 500 to 1,000 rubles for officials.

Amendments are proposed to Russia’s Criminal Code and Code on Administrative Offenses.