MOSCOW, November 12 - RAPSI. State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and United Russia party member Vladimir Ponezhevsky has submitted a bill for consideration that specifies the procedure for submitting an application to parliament on depriving a deputy or a senator of immunity, RIA Novosti reported.
Ponezhevsky decided to submit the draft law after a legal gap was found during the procedure to strip Communist party member Vladimir Bessonov of immunity in the Duma's spring sessions.
Bessonov was deprived of immunity after he allegedly attacked a police officer during the presidential election campaign.
The Investigative Committee first submitted an application to deprive him of immunity, but the Duma did not consider the appeal and said the prosecutor general should submit an application according to the Constitution. Later, the issue of depriving deputies of immunity was submitted to the Duma for consideration.
The bill's sponsor said the Criminal Procedural Code does not stipulate who must file the application, while the Constitution stresses that the prosecutor general should file the document.