MOSCOW, January 29 - RAPSI. The Communist Party seeks to initiate the ratification of the Article on Illicit Enrichment of the UN Convention Against Corruption, deputy chief Ivan Melnikov has said on Tuesday.

At least 100 signatures must be collected to initiate a parliamentary hearing of the initiative, he said.

Although Russia has ratified the convention proper, the country has not ratified Article 20, which stipulates responsibility for illicit enrichment of state officials.

The Communist Party has stated on multiple occasions that Russia needs to ratify the convention to effectively fight corruption.

"We are collecting voter signatures for the ratification of Article 20 and have already collected 50,000," Melnikov said, commenting the president's proposal for the parliament to consider any public initiative signed by 100,000 or more people.

He said his party fully supports the proposal, although it is also important to work out and to legalize a clear procedure for considering such initiatives, stressing that they should be considered publicly and promptly and not delayed or ignored.