The Ministry of Justice proposed to oblige foreign agents to record transactions with notaries

The Russian Ministry of Justice proposes to record transactions of persons recognized as foreign agents through notaries in order to exclude the possibility of circumventing the mechanism of special accounts. This was announced on June 25 by Oleg Sviridenko, Deputy head of the department, during the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum (SPIEF).

According to the deputy minister, current practice shows that foreign agents use gift agreements, assignment of rights or marriage contracts to formally transfer their assets. Sviridenko clarified that one of the well-known cultural figures had already used a similar scheme to remove property from legal restrictions. To combat such abuses, the agency plans to introduce a mandatory notarial form for transactions of a certain value.

"They (foreign agents — Ed.) simply transfer all their rights fictitiously and, accordingly, move away from the influence of this format, the use of this special account," a recording of his speech was published on the SPIEF website.

Sviridenko stressed that the legislative amendments are aimed at preventing financial transactions bypassing the blockages provided for by special accounts. He added that this initiative will be the ministry's first proposal to amend relevant legislation in 2026.

He also said that payments for the use of intellectual property and brands, income from the sale or rental of real estate, as well as interest on deposits and dividends are credited to special accounts of foreign agents. The owners can dispose of these funds only after being deprived of the status of a foreign agent, adds "Газета.Ru ".

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The day before, Sviridenko said that foreign agents convicted by Russian courts in absentia would be required to serve their sentences if they returned to Russia. He recalled that criminal liability of foreign agents had been tightened in Russia, which made it possible to try them in absentia. According to him, such sentences range from three to five years in prison.