SYSTEM OF TERRITORIAL SELF-GOVERNMENT AS ANTI-CORRUPTION MEASURE

In the article the system of territorial self-government as a way of fight against corruption offenses in the Russian state in the middle of the 16th century is considered. The following problems are put: to find out against what corruption offenses this system was directed, how effectively coped with them. The main one for anti-corruption measures within the framework of the Zemstvo reform was the replacement of the local administrative and judicial apparatus with local self-government bodies formed by elected «best people.» In the issuance of Zemstvo diplomas, various fees in favor of volostels and tiuns were replaced by a fixed monetary hoard, paid in favor of the supreme power once a year, which significantly reduced the opportunities for manifestations of corruption. Moreover, a number of provisions of the Zemstvo diplomas specifically stated that there was no need to transfer to any officials «bribes and pominki», that is, an unexpected remuneration for the exercise by the Judicial Officer of his functions. According to the Zemstvo diplomas, the Supreme Power understood that new elected officials could also commit corruption offences, which included an explicit ban on accepting «gifts» in connection with the exercise of their functions, and the penalty for violating this ban was the death penalty.