ST 170.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation
1. Introduction by a cadastral engineer of knowingly false information into a boundary plan, technical plan, survey report, survey project of a land plot or land plots or a map plan of the territory or forgery of documents on the basis of which the survey plan, technical plan, survey report, survey project were prepared a plot of land or plots of land or a map-plan of the territory, if these acts caused major damage to citizens, organizations or the state -
shall be punishable by a fine in the amount of one hundred thousand to three hundred thousand rubles, or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of one to two years, or by deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years, or by compulsory labor for a term up to three hundred and sixty hours.
2. The same acts that caused especially large damage -
shall be punishable by a fine in the amount of two hundred thousand to five hundred thousand rubles, or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of one to three years, with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years, or by correctional labor for a term of up to one years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years.
Note : In the articles of this chapter, with the exception of Article 169, parts three - six of Article 171.1, articles 171.2, 171.3, 172.3, 174, 174.1, 178, 180, 185 - 185.4, 185.6, 191.1, 193, 193.1, 194, 198 - 199. 1, 199.3, 199.4, 200.1, 200.2, 200.3, 200.5 and 200.7, large-scale, large-scale damage, income or debt in a large amount are recognized as cost, damage, income or debt in an amount exceeding two million two hundred and fifty thousand rubles, and especially large - nine million rubles.
Features of the crime
The unlawful act belongs to the category of special ones, i.e. the person committing illegal actions must be in the civil service of the relevant authority. The crime is characterized by several independent compounds that have similar characteristics.
The difference lies in the objective manifestation of all three actions. Read on to learn more about what constitutes registration of illegal land transactions.
Concept
The concept of a criminal act is enshrined in Art. 170 and combines three alternative crimes that affect one common object, which is land management relations. These relations relate to the following issues:
- expedient use and turnover of land plots;
- strict implementation of norms and rules related to the procedure for state regulation of land use.
The subject of the crime is official documentation:
- Unified State Register.
- Real estate cadastre.
- Papers on tax payments for land or lease.
Regulations
In 2015, a new related norm appeared in the Criminal Code (Article 170.2). It provides for responsibility for the preparation of documentation related to the formation of land plots, with the entry into it of data that does not correspond to the real state of affairs. Thus, the disposition of the norm provides for the commission of separate acts in relation to the following official papers:
- land survey plan;
- technical plan;
- inspection report;
- land surveying project;
- map-plan of the area.
To incur liability, a civil servant must perform the following actions: enter false data into the specified documentation or commit forgery of these official papers. The composition is a special case in relation to other criminal attacks in the field of economic activity.
The same as in Art. 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the norm provides for a specific subject, which is a civil servant holding the position of cadastral engineer.
A mandatory characteristic feature of a crime must be the subjective side - direct intention, and the occurrence of a socially dangerous outcome, which is expressed in causing harm to citizens, legal entities and the state. The amount of damage is indicated as large, i.e. over 1 million rubles. The qualifying norm in Part 2 provides for consequences on a particularly large scale, i.e. amounts exceed 6 million rubles.
So, now you know what it is, registration of obviously illegal land transactions, let’s talk about the legal characteristics of the crime.
Legal characteristics
The illegal acts specified in Art. 170, have a high level of secrecy, so it is almost impossible to obtain a real forensic picture. The main reason for this is the scrupulous work in preparation for the crime, the inability to immediately detect the injured party, since it is not clearly expressed.
These atrocities are committed by an entity with special knowledge in the field of state registration of real estate, which is endowed with certain powers. Therefore, disclosure may be difficult due to the presence of many additional legislative acts regulating state registration activities. However, according to statistics, the number of reported atrocities increases every year, and exceeds more than 100 criminal cases per year.
Registration of illegal transactions with real estate also has its own corpus delicti under Article (Article) 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, we will talk about it further.
This video will tell you how to reclaim real estate from someone else’s illegal possession:
Composition of the crime and qualifying characteristics
The composition of a crime means all the characteristics that characterize it. The external expression of an unlawful act is its objective side and the object of the attack.
An object
The object is social connections regarding the implementation of the procedure for state registration of real estate objects, transactions with it, as well as the rights of copyright holders.
The seriousness and danger to society is as follows:
- violation of the country's interests (public and financial);
- increase in facts of corruption of civil servants;
- violation of the principle of equality of areas of the real estate market, including the turnover of land plots;
Illegal actions with sites can lead to the following negative aspects:
- withdrawal of land from agricultural use;
- concentration of land in the hands of one person;
- turning plots of land into objects of speculative illegal operations;
- violation of the rights of legitimate copyright holders.
Objective side
The objective side consists of three independent actions:
- state registration of obviously illegal real estate transactions;
- falsification of Unified State Register data;
- reduction in payments for real estate transactions.
The elements of the crime are formal, i.e. it will be completed from the time the person performs the specified actions. To qualify a crime, the moment of the onset of a truly dangerous outcome for society and the state is not important.
State registration of illegal real estate transactions is the commission of actions that contradict the provisions of legal acts in order to make the transaction legal, i.e. with legal consequences. However, there are no grounds for state registration of such an operation and the official is aware of this. The Civil Code provides for the following types of real estate transactions:
- acquisition of real rights to land and other real estate (inheritance, the right to perpetual use of land);
- acquisition of rights of obligation, resulting from their contractual relations (rent, donation, purchase and sale, etc.)
In addition, termination and transfer of rights to real estate are subject to state registration. All these actions must be certified in the prescribed manner by a specially authorized state registrar at the request of the copyright holder. The rules and procedures are enshrined in a special law on state registration of real estate, which assigns a number of responsibilities to officials:
- receiving documentation and checking the validity of the information provided;
- checking the property for the right holder, previously completed transactions and the presence of encumbrances;
- conducting a legal examination of the legality of the transaction;
- detection of reasons for refusal of state registration;
- sending requests to other authorities to confirm and obtain reliable data and documentation for state registration;
- entering information into the Unified State Register, issuing a state registration document, etc.
Subject and subjective side
Subject under Art. 170 is special - this is an official authorized by the state to carry out the procedure for state registration of real estate. A civil servant must use his official status.
The subjective side is characterized by intentionality, i.e. these actions must be performed by a person with a clearly expressed desire. A prerequisite for intent must be the interest of the subject: mercantile or personal.
- Mercantile interest is expressed in the desire of an official to make a profit from committing illegal actions.
- Another interest may be expressed in the provision of services to the participants in the transaction as “their” people, in the opportunity to obtain connections with the “right” people.
This article does not provide qualifying characteristics, i.e. those that aggravate responsibility.
Commentary on Article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation
1. Regulatory material: ZK; Art. 25 Law of the Russian Federation dated October 11, 1991 N 1738-1 “On payment for land” (as amended on August 9, 1994) <1>; Federal Law of July 21, 1997 N 122-FZ “On state registration of rights to real estate and transactions with it” (as amended on December 18, 2006) <2>; dated January 2, 2000 N 28-FZ “On the State Land Cadastre” (as amended on December 4, 2006) <3>; dated June 18, 2001 N 78-FZ “On Land Management” (as amended on December 4, 2006) <4> and others ——————————— <1> Gazette of the Russian Federation. 1991. N 44. Art. 1424; NW RF. 1994. N 16. Art. 1860.
<2> Northwestern Russian Federation. 2001. N 11. Art. 997, N 16. Art. 1533; 2002. N 15. Art. 1377; 2003. N 24. Art. 2244; 2004. N 27. Art. 2711, N 30. Art. 3081, N 35. Art. 3607, N 45. Art. 4377; 2005. N 1 (part 1). Art. 15, Art. 22, Art. 40, Art. 43, N 50. Art. 5244; 2006. N 1. Art. 17, N 17 (part 1). Art. 1782, N 23. Art. 2380, N 27. Art. 2881, N 30. Art. 3287, N 50. Art. 5279; RG. N 290. 2006.
<3> Northwestern Russian Federation. 2000. N 2. Art. 149; 2004. N 35. Art. 3607; 2006. N 27. Art. 2881, N 50. Art. 5279.
<4> Northwestern Russian Federation. 2001. N 26. Art. 2582; 2005. N 30 (part 1). Art. 3098; 2006. N 50. Art. 5279.
2. The object of criminal encroachment is economic interests in the sphere of land relations.
3. The commented article combines three independent crimes, close to each other in that they all, one way or another, relate to land: 1) registration of obviously illegal transactions with land; 2) distortion of registration data of the State Land Cadastre; 3) deliberate understatement of payments for land. The objective side of the first is the registration of obviously illegal land transactions.
4. Transactions with land mean its purchase, sale, lease, pledge, including mortgage, easements, donation, inheritance, etc.
5. Transactions are illegal if they contradict current civil and land legislation. Examples of illegal transactions include the sale and other transfer of ownership, as well as lease of land plots withdrawn from circulation (for example, occupied by state natural reserves and national parks, facilities of federal security service organizations or federal state protection bodies, military and civil burial grounds, etc. etc.), sale of a land plot by a person who is not its owner, any disposal (except for the transfer of rights by inheritance) of a land plot by a person who, not being the owner, owns it by right of lifelong inheritance, transfer by a tenant of a leased land plot to sublease without notifications, and in some cases, without the consent of the owner of this site, and others.
6. The subject of the second criminal offense provided for in the comment. The article is the registration data of the State Land Cadastre.
The state land cadastre is a systematized collection of documented information about objects of state cadastral registration, about the legal regime of land in the Russian Federation, about the cadastral value, location, size of land plots and real estate objects firmly associated with them, about the subjects of rights to land plots.
7. Documents of the state land cadastre are divided into main, auxiliary and derivative.
The main documents include the Unified State Register of Lands, cadastral files and duty cadastral maps (plans).
The Unified State Register of Lands is intended to carry out state cadastral registration of land plots and contains information about existing and ceased to exist land plots. It indicates their cadastral numbers, location, area, category of land and permitted use of land plots, description of the boundaries of land plots, their individual parts, real rights and restrictions (encumbrances) registered in the prescribed manner, etc.
A cadastral file is a set of documents compiled in accordance with the established procedure, confirming the fact of the emergence or termination of the existence of a land plot.
The duty cadastral map (plan) is a map (plan) on which information about the location of land plots and territorial zones is reproduced in graphic and text forms.
8. Auxiliary and derivative documents of the state land cadastre cannot be the subject of distortion of the accounting data of the State Land Cadastre.
9. The objective side of distortion of accounting data is the entry into the main documents of the State Land Cadastre of false entries or partial falsification of true accounting data, which can be expressed in erasures, additions, erasing entries and making new ones, etc. Distorted data may concern the owner of the land plot, the category of the land plot, its value and size, its location, boundaries, its intended purpose, its tenants, landowners and land users, the presence of real estate, etc.
10. The subject of the third criminal offense provided for in the comment. article are payments for land.
The forms of payment are land tax (before the introduction of real estate tax) and rent. Land tax refers to those levied annually; it does not depend on the results of economic activities of land owners, landowners and land users and is established by the Tax Code of the Russian Federation. Rent is charged for lands leased. The amount of rent is established in the land lease agreement and is an essential condition of this agreement. In some cases (for example, with the permanent (indefinite) use of land plots by legal entities, excluding their individual categories), the rent is set in accordance with the decision of the Government of the Russian Federation (see Article 3 of the Federal Law of October 25, 2001 N 137-FZ “On the introduction of operation of the Land Code of the Russian Federation" (as amended on December 18, 2006) <1>). ——————————— <1> NW RF. 2001. N 44. Art. 4148; 2003. N 28. Art. 2875, N 50. Art. 4846; 2004. N 41. Art. 3993; 2005. N 1 (part 1). Art. 17, N 25. Art. 2425; 2006. N 1. Art. 3, Art. 17; 2006. N 17 (part 1). Art. 1782, N 27. Art. 2881; RG. N 290. 2006.
According to the Law of the Russian Federation “On Payment for Land”, the form of payment, in addition to land tax and rent, is the standard price of land. It is determined annually by the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation for the purchase or redemption of land plots and for obtaining a loan against them. In accordance with paragraph 13 of Art. 3 Federal Law dated October 25, 2001 N 137-FZ, the standard price of land is applied in cases where its cadastral value has not been determined.
11. The objective side of understating the size of the land payment is an illegal reduction of the latter; illegal application of tax or other benefits to the land owner, landowner or land user.
12. The crime in all its manifestations is considered completed at the moment of commission of the act specified in the disposition of the article.
13. The subjective side of registration of illegal land transactions is characterized only by direct intent.
14. A mandatory element of the subjective side of the composition is selfish or other personal interest.
15. The subject of a criminal attack is an official using his official position.
16. The act belongs to the category of crimes of minor gravity.
Punishment and responsibility
The norm provides for an alternative sanction for these illegal acts.
- The minimum punishment under the article is (from 200 to 500 thousand or the amount of earnings for 1-3 years).
- The maximum penalty is up to 360 hours with up to 3 years.
The sanction of the article not only punishes the guilty parties, but also expands the possibilities of protecting land legal relations and ensures the legality of the activities of civil servants in the field of circulation of land plots and other real estate.
Now let’s look at some cases from judicial practice under Article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Judicial practice under Article 170 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation
Ruling of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated 01/09/2017 N 307-ES16-703 in case N A56-21676/2014
Refusing to satisfy the initial demands and satisfying the counterclaim, the appellate court, guided by the provisions of Articles 166, 168, 170 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the explanations set out in paragraph 86 of the resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated June 23, 2015 N “On the application by courts of certain provisions of Section I of Part One of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation” and the legal position reflected in the resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation dated October 18, 2012 N 7204/12 , proceeded from the sham of the lease agreement, in the conclusion of which the parties did not intend to create legal consequences in the form of a paid transfer of vehicles for use.
Ruling of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated January 10, 2017 N 309-ES15-16756(12) in case N A50-17399/2014
Resolving the dispute again, the appellate court, having assessed the evidence presented according to the rules of Articles 65, 71 and 168 of the Arbitration Procedure Code of the Russian Federation and guided by the provisions of Articles 167, 168 and 170 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, taking into account the explanations set out in paragraphs 1 and 86 of the resolution Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated June 23, 2015 N “On the application by courts of certain provisions of Section I of Part One of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation”, as well as Article 61.2 of the Federal Law dated October 26, 2002 N 127-FZ “On Insolvency (Bankruptcy)”, proceeded from that all the disputed transactions were imaginary, concluded by the bank with A.V. Chervonykh. only for show, the real purpose of which was to transfer illiquid receivables to another person, which made it possible to create reserves in the Bank of Russia in an underestimated amount, and ultimately misled participants in civil circulation and the regulator regarding the actual financial condition of the credit organization.
Ruling of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated January 16, 2017 N 309-ES16-18494 in case N A76-3964/2016
The closed joint-stock company "Novations and Business in Energy" (hereinafter referred to as the applicant) filed a claim with the Arbitration Court of the Chelyabinsk Region against the closed joint-stock company "Energostroitelnaya On Insolvency (Bankruptcy)", Article 46 of the Federal Law of 02/08/1998 N 14-FZ "On limited liability companies" and proceeded from the absence of grounds for recognizing the transaction as invalid, taking into account the totality of the circumstances of this dispute.
Ruling of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated January 25, 2017 N 304-ES16-19263 in case N A70-13551/2015
Recognizing the agreement as a sham transaction, the courts were guided by Articles 170 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Article 61.6 of Federal Law dated October 26, 2002 N 127-FZ “On Insolvency (Bankruptcy)”, and took into account the explanations contained in the resolutions of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated June 23, 2015 N “On the application by the courts of certain provisions of Section I of Part One of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation” and the Plenum of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation dated December 23, 2010 N “On some issues related to the application of Chapter III.1 of the Federal Law “On Insolvency (Bankruptcy)” and came to the reasonable conclusion that when concluding the agreement, the parties did not pursue the goal of alienating a parking space for money, but sought to cover up the gratuitous alienation of property in favor of the interested party.
Ruling of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated January 25, 2017 N 304-ES16-19350 in case N A70-15271/2014
Recognizing the transaction for the transfer by the debtor of real estate to the authorized capital of the Tyumenobuvtorg company, the courts were guided by Articles 170 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and came to a reasonable conclusion that the said transaction was concluded through abuse of law for the purpose of gratuitous alienation of property owned by the debtor in favor of an interested party Filippova L.S., is a sham, covering up the gift agreement.
Determination of the Judicial Collegium for Economic Disputes of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated January 26, 2017 in case No. 306-ES14-7266, A65-28397/2013
Guided by Articles 329, 334, 346, 168, paragraph 1 of Article 170 of the Civil Code, paragraph 2 of Article 62, Articles 64, 69 of the Federal Law of July 16, 1998 N 102-FZ “On Mortgage (Pledge of Real Estate)” (hereinafter referred to as the Law on Mortgage ), the district court came to the conclusion that the mortgage agreement was null and void, as an imaginary transaction concluded only for show, without the intention of creating legal consequences, and also contrary to the provisions of civil, land legislation and the Mortgage Law, which do not allow the mortgage of a plot without located real estate objects .
Judicial practice under Art. 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation regarding registration of illegal transactions with land
According to statistics, criminal cases regarding illegal state registration of real estate transactions are initiated in a small volume. Accordingly, judicial practice in cases of this category is insignificant. Most crimes in this category are classified only if they were committed with mercenary intentions. The reason for the lack of practice in such cases lies in the latency of criminal acts, so they are poorly identified, it is difficult to collect evidence for them, and the perpetrators are identified.
When faced with incidental circumstances arising during the consideration of such cases, judges are guided by the decisions of the Plenums of the Supreme Court related to cases of corruption, abuse of official powers, o.
If illegal real estate transactions are identified, those responsible, and the data entered into the Unified State Register, cadastre or other documents, are subject to cancellation in the prescribed manner. If violations of the law are seen in the actions of the participants in the transactions, then they are also brought to trial, only under other articles of the Criminal Code.
Among them, illegal real estate transactions and other atrocities are the scourge of our time. They are called that way because they are capable of undermining the economic well-being of the state.
The following video presents lawyers' answers to popular questions regarding the application of Article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:
Insertion by a cadastral engineer of knowingly false information into a boundary plan, technical plan, survey report, project for surveying a land plot or land plots, or a map plan of the territory or forgery of documents on the basis of which the survey plan, technical plan, survey report, project for surveying a land plot were prepared or land plots or a map-plan of the territory, if these acts caused major damage to citizens, organizations or the state, is punishable by a fine in the amount of one hundred thousand to three hundred thousand rubles or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of one to two years. , or deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years, or compulsory work for a period of up to three hundred and sixty hours.
Article 170.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation constitutes a crime. Composition of the crime and qualifying characteristics
With the entry into force of the act on state registration in the Russian Federation of real estate objects, as well as transactions with them, a provision appeared in the Criminal Code providing for liability for the illegality of this procedure (Article 170).
In accordance with the law, all actions related to plots and other real estate must be formalized in a strictly defined manner.
Information about objects and owners is entered into the Unified State Register - a state special resource, a unified database.
This responsibility is assigned to civil servants of the Federal State Registration Service, who must verify all real estate transactions for legality and compliance with legal provisions. So, let's talk about entering deliberately false information into the boundary plan and other circumstances that violate a real estate transaction.
Features of the crime
The unlawful act belongs to the category of special ones, i.e. the person committing illegal actions must be in the civil service of the relevant authority. The crime is characterized by several independent compounds that have similar characteristics.
The difference lies in the objective manifestation of all three actions. Read on to learn more about what constitutes registration of illegal land transactions.
Concept
The concept of a criminal act is enshrined in Art. 170 and combines three alternative crimes that affect one common object, which is land management relations. These relations relate to the following issues:
- expedient use and turnover of land plots;
- strict implementation of norms and rules related to the procedure for state regulation of land use.
The subject of the crime is official documentation:
- Unified State Register.
- Real estate cadastre.
- Papers on tax payments for land or lease.
Regulations
In 2015, a new related norm appeared in the Criminal Code (Article 170.2). It provides for responsibility for the preparation of documentation related to the formation of land plots, with the entry into it of data that does not correspond to the real state of affairs. Thus, the disposition of the norm provides for the commission of separate acts in relation to the following official papers:
- land survey plan;
- technical plan;
- inspection report;
- land surveying project;
- map-plan of the area.
To incur liability, a civil servant must perform the following actions: enter false data into the specified documentation or commit forgery of these official papers. The composition is a special case in relation to other criminal attacks in the field of economic activity.
The same as in Art. 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the norm provides for a specific subject, which is a civil servant holding the position of cadastral engineer.
A mandatory characteristic feature of a crime must be the subjective side - direct intention, and the occurrence of a socially dangerous outcome, which is expressed in causing harm to citizens, legal entities and the state. The amount of damage is indicated as large, i.e. over 1 million rubles. The qualifying norm in Part 2 provides for consequences on a particularly large scale, i.e. amounts exceed 6 million rubles.
So, now you know what it is, registration of obviously illegal land transactions, let’s talk about the legal characteristics of the crime.
Legal characteristics
The illegal acts specified in Art. 170, have a high level of secrecy, so it is almost impossible to obtain a real forensic picture. The main reason for this is the scrupulous work in preparation for the crime, the inability to immediately detect the injured party, since it is not clearly expressed.
These atrocities are committed by an entity with special knowledge in the field of state registration of real estate, which is endowed with certain powers.
Therefore, disclosure may be difficult due to the presence of many additional legislative acts regulating state registration activities.
However, according to statistics, the number of reported atrocities increases every year, and exceeds more than 100 criminal cases per year.
Registration of illegal transactions with real estate also has its own corpus delicti under Article (Article) 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, we will talk about it further.
This video will tell you how to reclaim real estate from someone else’s illegal possession:
Composition of the crime and qualifying characteristics
The composition of a crime means all the characteristics that characterize it. The external expression of an unlawful act is its objective side and the object of the attack.
An object
The object is social connections regarding the implementation of the procedure for state registration of real estate objects, transactions with it, as well as the rights of copyright holders.
The seriousness and danger to society is as follows:
- violation of the country's interests (public and financial);
- increase in facts of corruption of civil servants;
- violation of the principle of equality of areas of the real estate market, including the turnover of land plots;
Illegal actions with sites can lead to the following negative aspects:
- withdrawal of land from agricultural use;
- concentration of land in the hands of one person;
- turning plots of land into objects of speculative illegal operations;
- violation of the rights of legitimate copyright holders.
Objective side
The objective side consists of three independent actions:
- state registration of obviously illegal real estate transactions;
- falsification of Unified State Register data;
- reduction in payments for real estate transactions.
The elements of the crime are formal, i.e. it will be completed from the time the person performs the specified actions. To qualify a crime, the moment of the onset of a truly dangerous outcome for society and the state is not important.
State registration of illegal real estate transactions is the commission of actions that contradict the provisions of legal acts in order to make the transaction legal, i.e. with legal consequences. However, there are no grounds for state registration of such an operation and the official is aware of this. The Civil Code provides for the following types of real estate transactions:
- acquisition of real rights to land and other real estate (inheritance, the right to perpetual use of land);
- acquisition of rights of obligation, resulting from their contractual relations (rent, donation, purchase and sale, etc.)
In addition, termination and transfer of rights to real estate are subject to state registration. All these actions must be certified in the prescribed manner by a specially authorized state registrar at the request of the copyright holder. The rules and procedures are enshrined in a special law on state registration of real estate, which assigns a number of responsibilities to officials:
- receiving documentation and checking the validity of the information provided;
- checking the property for the right holder, previously completed transactions and the presence of encumbrances;
- conducting a legal examination of the legality of the transaction;
- detection of reasons for refusal of state registration;
- sending requests to other authorities to confirm and obtain reliable data and documentation for state registration;
- entering information into the Unified State Register, issuing a state registration document, etc.
Subject and subjective side
Subject under Art. 170 is special - this is an official authorized by the state to carry out the procedure for state registration of real estate. A civil servant must use his official status.
The subjective side is characterized by intentionality, i.e. these actions must be performed by a person with a clearly expressed desire. A prerequisite for intent must be the interest of the subject: mercantile or personal.
- Mercantile interest is expressed in the desire of an official to make a profit from committing illegal actions.
- Another interest may be expressed in the provision of services to the participants in the transaction as “their” people, in the opportunity to obtain connections with the “right” people.
This article does not provide qualifying characteristics, i.e. those that aggravate responsibility.
Punishment and responsibility
The norm provides for an alternative sanction for these illegal acts.
- The minimum punishment under the article is (from 200 to 500 thousand or the amount of earnings for 1-3 years).
- The maximum penalty is up to 360 hours with up to 3 years.
The sanction of the article not only punishes the guilty parties, but also expands the possibilities of protecting land legal relations and ensures the legality of the activities of civil servants in the field of circulation of land plots and other real estate.
Now let’s look at some cases from judicial practice under Article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Judicial practice under Art. 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation regarding registration of illegal transactions with land
According to statistics, criminal cases regarding illegal state registration of real estate transactions are initiated in a small volume. Accordingly, judicial practice in cases of this category is insignificant.
Most crimes in this category are classified only if they were committed with mercenary intentions.
The reason for the lack of practice in such cases lies in the latency of criminal acts, so they are poorly identified, it is difficult to collect evidence for them, and the perpetrators are identified.
When faced with incidental circumstances arising during the consideration of such cases, judges are guided by the decisions of the Plenums of the Supreme Court related to cases of corruption, abuse of official powers, o.
If illegal real estate transactions are identified, those responsible, and the data entered into the Unified State Register, cadastre or other documents, are subject to cancellation in the prescribed manner. If violations of the law are seen in the actions of the participants in the transactions, then they are also brought to trial, only under other articles of the Criminal Code.
Among them, illegal real estate transactions and other atrocities are the scourge of our time. They are called that way because they are capable of undermining the economic well-being of the state.
The following video presents lawyers' answers to popular questions regarding the application of Article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation:
Insertion by a cadastral engineer of knowingly false information into a boundary plan, technical plan, survey report, project for surveying a land plot or land plots, or a map plan of the territory or forgery of documents on the basis of which the survey plan, technical plan, survey report, project for surveying a land plot were prepared or land plots or a map-plan of the territory, if these acts caused major damage to citizens, organizations or the state, is punishable by a fine in the amount of one hundred thousand to three hundred thousand rubles or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of one to two years. , or deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years, or compulsory work for a period of up to three hundred and sixty hours.
Part 2 art. 170.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation
The same acts that caused especially large damage are punishable by a fine in the amount of two hundred thousand to five hundred thousand rubles or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of one to three years, with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term up to three years or correctional labor for up to one year with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years. Note.
In the articles of this chapter, with the exception of Article 169, parts three to six of Article 171.1, articles 171.2, 171.3, 174, 174.1, 178, 180, 185 – 185.4, 185.6, 191.1, 193, 193.1, 194, 198 – 199.1, 199. 3, 199.4, 200.1, 200.2 and 200.
3, large-scale, large-scale damage, income or debt on a large scale are recognized as cost, damage, income or debt in an amount exceeding two million two hundred and fifty thousand rubles, and especially large - nine million rubles.
Part 2 art. 170.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation
The same acts that caused especially large damage are punishable by a fine in the amount of two hundred thousand to five hundred thousand rubles or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of one to three years, with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term up to three years or correctional labor for up to one year with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years. Note.
In the articles of this chapter, with the exception of Article 169, parts three to six of Article 171.1, articles 171.2, 171.3, 174, 174.1, 178, 180, 185 – 185.4, 185.6, 191.1, 193, 193.1, 194, 198 – 199.1, 199. 3, 199.4, 200.1, 200.2 and 200.3, large-scale, large-scale damage, income or debt on a large scale are recognized as cost, damage, income or debt in an amount exceeding two million two hundred and fifty thousand rubles, and especially large - nine million rubles.
Commentary to Art. 170.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation
Commentary edited by Esakova G.A.
1. Subject of the crime:
a) a survey plan, a technical plan, a survey report, a project for surveying a land plot or land plots, or a map plan of the territory;
b) documents on the basis of which the documents listed in paragraph “a” are prepared.
2. The objective side is characterized by a socially dangerous act, expressed by two alternative actions. The first of them (relates to the subject of the crime set out in paragraph “a”) is the introduction of knowingly false information into documents; the second (refers to the subject of the crime set out in paragraph “b”) – forgery of these documents.
3. The crime is considered completed from the moment of causing major damage to citizens, an organization or the state in an amount exceeding 2.25 million rubles.
4. The subject of the crime is a cadastral engineer, i.e. an individual who is a member of a self-regulatory organization of cadastral engineers and has a special right to carry out cadastral activities.
On July 25, 2015, amendments to the Criminal Code came into force in Russia, which provide for criminal liability for cadastral engineers for entering knowingly false information into prepared documents. This code has been supplemented by an article.
In accordance with the provisions of the mentioned article, only a cadastral engineer can be the subject of a crime. A person who does not have a cadastral engineer certificate cannot be prosecuted under Article 170.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation
This article talks about Article 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. What kind of article is this and what could be the consequences?
As soon as the acts on state registration in the Russian Federation of real estate items and procedures with them came into force, Article 170 of the Criminal Code arose, which implies liability for the illegal implementation of the presented procedure.
According to the law, absolutely all actions that are combined with plots and other real estate must be registered in a specific manner. Data about objects and owners will be included in the Unified State Register.
This responsibility will be assigned to government workers from the Federal Service for State Registration, who are required to check absolutely all real estate procedures for legality and compliance with legal provisions.
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Peculiarities
An illegal act will be classified as a special one, in other words, a person who carries out illegal acts must be in the public service of one or another authority. The offense is characterized by a pair of individual compounds, which have similar characteristics.
The difference will be hidden in the objective expression of all three acts.
Regulations
In 2015, a new general rule emerged in the Criminal Code. It assumes responsibility for registering documents related to the appearance of plots of land, with entering into it information that does not correspond to the current state of affairs.
In order for liability to arise, a civil servant must commit acts such as entering false information into certain documentation or forging such official papers. The composition is shown as a matter of a private nature, in relation to other attacks of a criminal nature in the field of economic work.
Characteristics of legal type
Illegal acts as defined in Art. 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, have a very high level of secrecy. For this reason, it is virtually impossible to obtain a normal forensic picture. The main reason for this seems to be very precise work in preparation for an offense, since it is not expressed explicitly.
Such offenses are carried out by an entity that has special knowledge in the field of state registration of real estate and is vested with certain powers.
For this reason, disclosure may be difficult, since there are a large number of additional acts of legislation that regulate state registration activities.
Yet, by definition, the number of these offenses grows every year and reaches a figure of more than 100 criminal cases per year.
The recording of illegal processes involving real estate also has its own elements of an offense under Art. 170 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Signs of qualification
Absolutely all the signs defining it are shown under the elements of the offense. The external manifestation of an illegal action is its objective part and the object of the offense.
An object
The object shows relations of a social nature regarding the procedure for state registration of real estate objects, procedures with them and the rights of copyright holders.
The threat to the public will be that:
- The views of the country are being violated.
- The incidence of bribery of government officials is increasing.
- The principle of compliance of areas of the real estate market, including the circulation of land plots, is violated.
Illegal actions with plots lead to the following bad facts:
- Removal of land from agricultural use.
- Finding the land in one hand.
- Passage of lands in cases of speculative illegal procedures.
- Oppression of the rights of real copyright holders.
Documents that may be subject to forgery
The newly introduced article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation contains a list of documents that may be subject to forgery. Such documents are:
- land surveying project for a land plot or land plots,
- map-plan of the territory.
The direct reference to the specified list of documents is not accidental, since it is on the basis of these documents that information about real estate objects is entered into the State Real Estate Cadastre and then into the Unified State Register of Rights.
Objective side
The objective side includes 3 operations:
- Entering false information into the Unified State Register.
- Reducing the amount of cash payments for taxes and other land-related payments.
- State registration of initially illegal actions with the site.
The offense will be considered identified when all 3 actions are completed.
In addition, the corpus delicti can be determined at any stage, and it does not depend on whether damage has occurred to the owner or the state or not. State registration of land by an employee who initially knew about the existence of illegal activities with the land is considered a crime. There are no regulatory documents or acts permitting such a transaction.
The State Cadastre identifies several types of operations that are carried out with a land plot:
- acquisition of rights to land (inheritance, perpetual ownership of a plot);
- obtaining common rights to the site (lease agreement, rent, purchase and sale).
Rosreestr carries out operations relating to the termination of rights to land and any relations with it. All actions must be carried out in accordance with the Code of Administrative Offenses, have transparency and legality.
The responsibilities of a civil servant involved in processing land transactions include:
- Reception of documents.
- Checking the reliability of the received data.
- An assessment of all legal actions that were previously performed on the site.
- Conducting a legal examination that gives the right to perform a certain action in relation to the land plot in question.
- Search for reasons for refusing registration.
- Sending requests to other government authorities and institutions to confirm the authenticity of all information provided.
- Issuing a registration certificate, entering the necessary reliable information into the register.
In addition, the specialist must check the authenticity of the submitted land survey plan and the presence of arrears in payments.
What kind of deliberately false information can there be and who might benefit from it?
False information can come in a wide variety of forms. Here are the most common:
1. Underestimation of areas. It is beneficial for the owner to reduce the cadastral value, and with it the property tax. In the technical plan, some areas may not be indicated at all, or they may be classified not as residential, but as the cold part of the room.
2. An indication of a supposedly built part that has not yet actually been built. It may be beneficial to the developer who is delaying construction deadlines.
3. Drawing up an inspection report for a premises that has allegedly been demolished, although it actually exists. It is beneficial for the owner to avoid paying property taxes.
4. Overestimation of actual areas. It is beneficial for the seller, who can sell property that is actually smaller at a higher price and faster.
Responsibility for violations
If the cadastral engineer entered knowingly false information on his own, administrative liability is possible:
- fine up to 300 thousand rubles,
- deprivation of the right to engage in activities for up to 3 years,
- compulsory work for up to 360 hours.
If the damage caused by such actions is particularly large, then the liability increases:
- fine up to 500 thousand rubles,
- correctional labor for up to 1 year.
If the acts are committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy:
- fine up to one million rubles,
- imprisonment for up to 3 years.