Vladimir Putin has signed a law expanding the list of guarantees for the ex-presidents of Russia and their families. According to the document, the former head of state can no longer be brought to criminal or administrative responsibility. He cannot be detained, arrested, interrogated and searched. In the coming years, only two presidents will be able to use the law: Putin himself and Dmitry Medvedev.
These changes were made to the legislation due to amendments to the Constitution of Russia. The law prescribed a mechanism for circumventing the prohibitions, but it is not easy to implement it. The ex-president of Russia can be deprived of immunity if the State Duma charges him with treason or committing another serious crime. This must be confirmed by the conclusions of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts and approved by the Federation Council. There are three months for the implementation of the procedure from the date that charges are announced.
The authors of the initiative were the deputy Pavel Krasheninnikov and the senator Andrey Klishas. According to Krasheninnikov, the Russian president has a huge responsibility on his shoulders, as well as the “wisdom” to make unpopular political decisions. For this reason, the deputy believes, it is important for society to know that after the president leaves office, the state will protect him.
Until now, Russian legislation has given immunity to the president only for the duration of their powers. At the same time, the immunity could be lifted if the head of the ICR instituted a criminal case against the head of state.
