Already on May 2, 1918, Moscow Revtribunal heard the case of four members of the Investigative Committee accused of bribery and blackmailing.
[1][2][3] On May 8, 1918, the "Decree on Bribery" was signed by Lenin, which punished both givers and takers.
[4][5] In February 1920, a special commission, Rabkrin (People's Commissariat of the Workers' and Peasants' Inspection) was set to combat two major plagues, inefficiency and corruption at all levels of administration.
[a] Corruption at highest levels had grown considerably during Brezhnev's tenure had become a major problem to the Soviet Union's economic development by the 1980s.
[citation needed] When Andropov came to power, he initiated a nationwide anti-corruption campaign.