Doing Business in Russia. Котова К.П - 44 стр.

                                            44

of the economic crimes section of the Rostov Region’s Department of Internal
Affairs exposed a group which dealt with the manufacture and sale of 50,000-
ruble banknotes.
         MN: The forgery of credit cards and operations with them are consid-
ered in the West no less a problem than false cash. Is it already possible to
speak about the domestic criminal world’s mounting interest in the legal ten-
der?
         V.A.: Yes, it is already possible. Of late crimes have been ever more of-
ten registered in Russia in connection with the forgery of credit cards. Thus, ac-
cording to the American Express company, in the past half-year there have been
identified four cases of the appearance of counterfeit Master Card cards and
five Visa cards. The damage from the illegal use of American Express cards in
Russia monthly comes to $50,000-70,000, and it may be predicted that this sum
will considerably increase next year.
         MN: The overall picture seems to be very sad and the prospects are far
from encouraging: “continuing growth, further intensification.” What are the
reasons for such a lamentable situation?
         V.A.: First, the inadequacy of the existing legislation with many contem-
porary processes: a crime already exists, but it has not yet been defined in law
and there are no norms of responsibility for it. There is one more reason: having
given up control over citizens, the state has never been able to organize control
over the movement of citizens’ money, the origin of capital and nascent for-
tunes.


V.       Work in pairs. Ask your partner:
1) if there will be an increase in corruption and theft in the most profitable sec-
tors of national economy; 2) fraudulent appropriation of the collected money; 3)
the most crime-intensive export-import operations; 4) the forgery of banknotes