MOSCOW, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to maintain its course on fighting corruption and crime on Tuesday, as he outlined the priority tasks for the prosecution agencies this year at a meeting of the Prosecutor General Office' s Board.
"This (countering corruption and crime in general) calls for systematic, professional work at all stages, from preventing crime to pressing charges in court." Putin said.
Assessing the performance of the prosecution agencies in 2016, Putin specified that 3,800 criminal proceedings were instituted on corruption charges following prosecutors' investigations throughout the whole year.
"We must continue to tighten control, enhance financial discipline and prevent the misuse, squandering or embezzlement of budget funds in the sphere of government procurement, state defence orders, state property management and infrastructure projects." Putin added.
In his annual parliamentary address in last December, Putin stressed the importance of further development of democratic institutes and civil society in Russia to protect rights and curb corruption.
