Citizens of the Russian Federation who illegally confiscate passports may face correctional labor for up to one year or detention for up to three months, stated Alexander Khaminsky, a lawyer and head of the center for law and order in Moscow and the Moscow region.
He explained that the theft of a citizen`s passport or other vital personal document is different from illegal seizure or using a passport as collateral. Such thefts are usually motivated by greed or other personal interest and are subject to criminal liability, which includes correctional labor for up to one year or arrest for up to three months, Khaminsky noted.
The lawyer clarified that instances where a citizen`s passport can be confiscated are defined by law. He emphasized that if an official seizes the document arbitrarily and without legal grounds, they incur administrative responsibility. Furthermore, according to the law, a passport cannot be accepted as collateral. If any organization takes a citizen`s passport as security for an obligation, it is violating the law, the lawyer added.
However, administrative liability for such an act is limited to a warning or a fine of 100 rubles. Naturally, such a small penalty is unlikely to deter unscrupulous organizations, Khaminsky remarked.
