MOSCOW, February 14 (RAPSI) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed an order to submit two bills concerning forfeiture of assets upon the request of foreign courts to the State Duma, the government’s website announced on Tuesday.

Earlier, Medvedev said that legislation amendments concerning execution of foreign courts’ judgments on seizure of assets and proceeds of crime would enhance combatting corruption and cross-border criminality.

Amendments proposed to the Criminal Procedure Code would establish a procedure of recognizing and execution of foreign courts’ judgments on forfeiture of assets in Russia obtained by criminal means. The draft law, among other matters, stipulates the jurisdiction of foreign authorities’ requests for recognition of court rulings and determines agencies and persons authorized to participate in relevant court hearings.

The bill also fixes grounds for refusal to fulfill such requests.

The second bill is to amend the Law on Enforcement Proceedings which currently does not include a procedure of forcible execution of judgments or foreign courts’ rulings on seizure of criminally obtained assets found in Russia.

According to the statement released on the Cabinet’s website, adoption of these draft laws would improve efficiency of international cooperation regarding the fight against organized crime.