Putin may get lifetime immunity from prosecution as bill seeks protection for presidents after they step down
Russian President Vladimir Putin may get lifetime immunity from prosecution after he leaves office, according to a bill pushed forward by lawmakers in the country. The proposal, which has drawn scrutiny, aims to make the president and his family exempt from criminal charges and has moved a step closer to become state law, reports state. The bill is among the constitutional amendments approved to allow Putin to run again for Russia's leadership after his fourth term in a row ends.
All former Russian presidents and their families will be immune from persecution if the particular legislation is passed. They will also be exempt from police searches, arrests, or any form of interrogation. The State Durma, the lower house, reportedly approved the proposed bill in the first of three readings on Wednesday, November 18. Under current law, former Russian presidents are only immune from prosecution for crimes committed when they were in office. The bill, however, requires approval from the Federation Council, the upper house, and President Putin before becoming a law.
A former president, under the proposed bill, could only be stripped of immunity if they are accused of treason or other similar grave crimes. The charges, even then, will reportedly have to be first confirmed by the Supreme and Constitutional courts of the country. The motion then should be backed by both chambers of parliament by at least two-thirds majority. Apart from Putin, who is currently in office, Dmitry Medvedev is the only living former president in the country. Medvedev led the country between 2008-2012.
The country's lower house also passed another bill in its first reading and which will grant former presidents a lifetime seat in the Federation Council. The coveted position also extends immunity from prosecution. The particular bill had sparked rumors earlier this month of Putin stepping down from his presidency due to ill health. The Kremlin, however, denied the reports and stated that the strongman was in good health.
It was reported earlier this month that Putin had hinted he could step down from his position despite pushing legislation that could make him "president for life." One Moscow source told The Sun: "This is Russia copying the outdated British system of life peers in the House of Lords." Reports state that the law was introduced by Putin himself and would guarantee him lifetime legal immunity and state perks. State-run RT media had predicted that the move will be perceived “as a sign that the groundwork is being laid for an eventual transition of power in Russia.”
The proposed law comes just months after the Russian strongman reportedly amended the constitution to be able to contest for a new six-year term in 2024, and again in 2030. The amendment was widely interpreted as Puttin planning to continue to remain in power until he is 83. Most Russian government officials are generally forced to resign from their positions by the age of 70. Putin, who took over the presidency from Boris Yeltsin in 1999, is Russia's longest-serving Kremlin leader since Stalin.