Putin Ends Requirement for Russian Officials to Publish Incomes

President Vladimir Putin signed laws scrapping mandatory annual income and asset declarations for Russian officials and judges, in a move that reduces public oversight of the country’s political elite while tightening the Kremlin’s control over corruption investigations.

Under a decree published Dec. 28 that amends a series of anti-corruption laws, officials and judges will be required to report their finances only in certain circumstances such as when changing posts within government bodies.