MOSCOW, July 23 (UPI) -- Russia has freed 13 businessmen in a government amnesty program for white-collar criminals, a business ombudsman said Tuesday.
The 13 are the first of thousands of people convicted of economic crimes expected to be released in the next six months, RIA Novosti reported.
Ombudsman Boris Titov said "thousands" of people are eligible for release, most of whom were entrepreneurs under investigation for criminal activity but not charged.
After the amnesty was announced, Titov had said he expected 100,000 people to be released. He downsized that estimate after the State Duma, Russia's lower house of Parliament, changed the legislation.
The Duma has the exclusive authority to grant amnesties and doesn't require the approval of the president.
Releases have been slowed by the requirement that prisoners pay financial compensation before they can be freed.
High-profile prisoners such as former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky aren't expected to among those released.
