Public officials and politically exposed persons: a comparative terminological analysis

The paper considers the issue of a unified inseparable definition of politically exposed persons and public officials. The author discusses the problems caused by simultaneous use of terms ‘public officials’ and ‘politically exposed persons’ for the same concept in Russian vocabulary. The study provides a comparative analysis of the most common Russian and international texts which explains the nature and causes of a contradiction in terms. The analysis helps define the most appropriate term from the viewpoint of practical application. The author shows that, despite the long-standing nature of the synonyms under review, they are legally different. Therefore, the codification of a unified definition of politically exposed persons in administrative law will be of practical value. It will improve the anti-corruption system and allow one to develop common legal anti-corruption standards.