MOSCOW, February 14 (RAPSI) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted a bill envisaging imprisonment for up to 15 years for organizing, leading criminal gangs and participating in them to the State Duma. The document has been published on the database of the parliament’s lower house.

Amendments are proposed to the Criminal Code of Russia.

Under the bill, gang leaders would face prison sentence ranging from 8 to 15 years with fines of up to 5 million rubles ($75,000) and supervised release for a term of up to 2 years. 

The most dangerous and serious crimes are committed by criminal groups, an explanatory note to the bill reads. Gang leaders usually coordinate criminal wrongdoing, create stable criminal links between different organized groups, divide up spheres of criminal influence and ill-gotten gains, direct criminal activities and therefore pose the highest public danger. However, they generally escape liability, according to the draft law.