Moscow, 10 July: The Federation Council's committee for legal and judicial issues has approved amendments to the Russian Federation's legislation with regard to the activities of bailiffs.

The Federal Bailiff Service's press service reported on Tuesday [10 July] that the matter regards the laws on introducing amendments to the law on enforcement proceedings and on introducing amendments to separate legal acts of the Russian Federation.

The laws on introducing amendments to the law on enforcement proceedings and on introducing amendments to separate legal acts of the Russian Federation were adopted by the State Duma on 6 July.

"The law allows the Federal Bailiff Service to raise the efficiency of coercive implementation of judicial and other acts and in this way ensure the right of citizens and organizations to legal protection," a statement by the Federal Bailiff Service says.

The press service underlined that "for the first time at the legislative level this law establishes such important regulations like the right of bailiffs to temporarily limit the right of a debtor to leave the Russian Federation".

"At the same time a bailiff can only make such a decision when implementing an executive document, issued on the basis of a judicial act. When implementing other executive documents the bailiff will have to turn to a court," the statement says.

Moreover, bailiffs will be able to independently prohibit debtors from leaving Russia upon a recoverer's request.

According to the new laws, the press service says, the bailiff will make an evaluation of seized property only if it is worth less than R30,000 [around 1,170 US dollars] (after a preliminary evaluation). [Passage omitted to end: details on property].