MOSCOW, December 7 - RAPSI. President Dmitry Medvedev signed a law on criminal liability for establishing fly-by-night companies to commit crimes, the Kremlin reported on Wednesday.

Therefore, an article which sets criminal liability for illegally establishing fly-by-night companies has been added into the Criminal Code.

Besides, the law stipulates criminal responsibility for providing or obtaining IDs to establish shell firms.

The law also amends the article which stipulates that the law enforcement agencies are responsible for investigating such crimes.

The State Duma adopted the law on November 22 and the Federation Council approved it on November 29.

On October 13, President Dmitry Medvedev urged the State Duma to adopt a law to impose criminal responsibility for establishing such firms as soon as possible. He made the statement while commenting on Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov's remark that the draft law was submitted to the State Duma in winter and the first reading was set for October 18.

The draft law has been significantly changed in the second reading. The new document proposed fines for criminals amounting to from 100,000 rubles ($3,250) to 300,000 rubles ($9,760), or sentences of up to three years in prison or of community service for the same term.