MOSCOW, March 16 (RAPSI) – Over 70,000 economic crimes were uncovered in Russia in 2017, the Interior Ministry’s press service reported Friday.

Over 400 significant crimes including 126 corruption cases are among the revealed criminal acts, the statement reads.

In 2017, officers of the ministry’s anti-corruption department examined over 60 documents that helped them establish the facts of infliction of damage to the state totaling to more than 20 billion rubles (over $340 million).

The volume of money returned by police to the budget increased by 20% and reached nearly 100 billion rubles ($1.7 billion).

According to the Interior Ministry, the anti-corruption department’s main purposes are combating system corruption, decreasing the rate of shadow economy including illegal financial transactions, cash withdrawal and siphoning of money abroad, decriminalization of strategic economic sectors, suppression of embezzlement of public funds.