Medvedev: Politicians' expenses 'Not State Secret'

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday dismissed a newspaper report, which claimed that a loophole in a new bill obliging officials to declare their expenses would allow some of their outgoings to be classified as confidential. Medvedev said he was "simply astonished" when he opened Wednesday's edition of the Vedomosti business newspaper. "It said all information about state officials' expenses and property purchases would be classified. It is simply twisting the law," he told a meeting of supporters. The front page report said the wording of the bill, the latest in Medvedev's campaign to curb corruption in Russia, allowed for some data to be declared a state secret. The bill was submitted to the lower house of parliament in January. Medvedev has described corruption in his country as a threat to national security. The new law will oblige state officials to make public any purchase of real estate, cars and company assets, but only if the amount of money spent "exceeds the total three-year real income of the official's family," Medvedev said on Tuesday.