Soviet Decree to Bar Corruption Goes Into Effect

A Soviet decree providing death sentences for officials who accept bribes and labor camp terms for those who make personal use of state property went into effect Tuesday as part of a crackdown on corruption.

The decree, approved in May by the Supreme Soviet, the nation’s nominal Parliament, also targets profit from “individual work activities” but does not specify what sort of work will be affected. Authorities have in the past tolerated various forms of individual work such as home and appliance repair services.

Soviet Justice Minister Boris V. Kravtsov said his department will strictly enforce the decree. He acknowledged, however, that enforcement will be difficult unless there is an improvement in living standards that would reduce the need for black-market dealing.

More Consumer Goods Urged

“The accelerated development of the production of consumer goods and the service sector would promote the success of the struggle against people living off unearned incomes,” Kravtsov told the official Tass news agency.

Some of the decree’s provisions already existed in law, but the penalties appear to be tightened, and the publicity given to the new round of regulations served as a warning of tighter enforcement.

Under the decree, the death sentence can be given to any government official convicted for a second time of accepting a bribe or taking an “exceptionally large” one. A first offense earns 10 years in jail and confiscation of property.

$280 Fines, Prison Terms

Fines of about $280 can be imposed for using state transportation for personal enrichment, but repeat offenders could face prison camp terms of up to two months.

Violators of the provisions on “individual work activities” face initial fines of about $65 to $130. Repeated violations can lead to fines up to $1,300 and, if hired labor is used, prison terms of up to five years.

The decree was announced while debate continued on further restrictions. One proposal would require citizens to disclose the source of their incomes before buying items that cost more than 10,000 rubles, or about $14,000, forcing buyers to account for large sums of ready cash.

Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev first hinted at the anti-corruption measures during the Communist Party Congress in Moscow in February.