The purchase of mandates has been a common practice since the 2000s.
In the State Duma and the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, there are at least 37 deputies and senators who may have obtained their positions to protect themselves from criminal cases thanks to immunity, writes the publication "Project." Every tenth member of parliament may have had legal issues in the past — at least 63 people out of 622 studied.
The purchase of mandates has been a common practice since the 2000s. The price for a seat on the party list was up to five million dollars in the LDPR party, journalists note. Many used government positions as a way to escape legal troubles. For example, Senator Maxim Kavdjaradze was convicted of assault in his youth and was associated with the Orukovskaya criminal group, writes "Project." He changed his biography and surname to hide his past, but has been sitting in the Federation Council since 2001.
Also among the lawmakers are relatives of people with criminal pasts. In the Federation Council sits Murat Hapsirokov — the son of the head of the General Prosecutor's Office in Moscow, Nazir Hapsirokov, who was closely associated with fraud and corruption in the 1990s. The publication also drew attention to Jamaladin Gasanov — a relative of Gasan "Gasan of the Caspian" Gasanov, a Dagestani criminal authority. This family was involved in murders, assassination attempts, and explosions, even planning to shoot down a passenger plane with competitors. Gasanov has been sitting in the State Duma since 2007.
Among the deputies are figures involved in international investigations. Andrei Lugovoy, a former intelligence officer, is suspected of poisoning former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London. Despite an arrest warrant, he has been sitting in the State Duma since 2007. Adam Delimkhanov (State Duma) and Suleiman Geremeev (Federation Council), allies of Ramzan Kadyrov, remain lawmakers. They are linked to the murder of FSB Lieutenant Colonel and Chechen commander Movladi Baisarov and the organization of the murder of politician Boris Nemtsov.
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