Higher pensions proposed for informants of intelligence agencies

Irina Yarovaya, head of the Russian parliament’s security and anti-corruption committee, has proposed to create a way for citizens who regularly cooperate with state intelligence agencies to accrue additional pensions. The draft of this bill was submitted for consideration by the Duma on March 11.

The document explaining the bill states that informants of intelligence agencies have the right to receive pensions for their work, yet the existing pension legislation does not allow for the realization of this right, as “the period of cooperation is not counted as part of the length of pensionable service which determines one’s pension award.”

In order to create a way to pay informants for cooperation with intelligence agencies, Yarovaya has proposed to change pension legislation and legislation concerning investigative activities. According to the draft bill, defense and law enforcement agencies are to convey information about investigative activities of the population to the Russian state retirement fund.

Official documents claim that passing this bill “will not be an additional financial burden and will not change the financial commitments of the state.”

The parliament member deems it necessary to amend both laws [regarding pensions and regarding investigative activities] in order to create a way for informants to accrue pensions and to receive pension payments.

Irina Yarovaya is a Russian parliament member who is known for drafting several infamous bills, including a bill securing a criminal penalty for rehabilitation of Nazism, a bill upgrading penalties for misconduct at protests, a bill securing criminal penalties for slander, and a bill increasing the punishment for offending religious feelings. She also took part in drafting a bill requiring NGOs receiving overseas funding to register as “foreign agents” and submit themselves to high levels of official scrutiny or face closure.