MOSCOW. April 9 (Interfax) - More than 1,500 cases related to corruption have been referred to Russian courts, said Alexander Bastrykin, first deputy prosecutor general and head of the Investigation Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office.

"The work to uncover bribery has intensified. The number of uncovered corruption-related crimes increased by 5% last year - not much, but more than previously. Our investigators have referred to courts over 1,500 criminal cases related to corruption, in which 1,722 names are involved," Bastrykin said in an interview published by the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper on Wednesday.

"Over a thousand cases have been opened against persons possessing special legal status," Bastrykin also said.

Corruption will be fought rigorously, without taking the suspects' official position into account, he said.

Citing sociological surveys, Bastrykin said that Russian citizens welcome the Investigation Committee's efforts in fighting corruption. Nearly half of respondents polled recently - 49% - said that putting a special agency in charge of investigations will help fight corruption more effectively in the government. Pessimists, who said corruption is incurable, made up 16% of those polled and one third of respondents were undecided.