MOSCOW - The average amount paid as a bribe in Russia increased 3.5 times in 2011 year-on-year, a spokesman for the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Economic Security Department told Interfax.
"The average bribe paid [in Russia] to a government or corporate official grew more than 3.5 times to 236,000 rubles," he said.
The number of solved corruption-related crimes committed by organized groups or criminal communities increased 2.5 times, the spokesman said.
The amount of damage compensation for crimes committed against the authorities or civil servants went up more than 50%.
"The figure compensated to the state budget by legal entities and citizens stood at approximately 4.5 billion rubles," he said.
