MOSCOW, May 24 (RAPSI) – Russian entrepreneurs have recently faced less instances of corruption, while the rate of growth in the number of criminal cases against businesspersons has dropped, Russia’s business ombudsman Boris Titov has stated.

Earlier, the ombudsman has presented his fifth annual report to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. According to Titov, the number of applications filed with his office has increased by nearly 23%; he has also noted numerous meetings he held with representatives of business across the country.

According to Titov, sociological research shows that the situation for businesses remains difficult still. Although criminal prosecution of entrepreneurs became less intense,  administrative pressure on them has been still  high.

Nevertheless, the research shows less instances of corruption and increasing transparency of state bodies, whereas the number of detained businesspersons declines. Yet, not all initiatives in this field were fully implemented. For example, a proposal to split hearings on potential detention and on merits between different judges had not been put into practice, Titov noted.