Speaking at the meeting, Mr Ivanov said that he hopes for the Investigative Committee’s efficient work, particularly in the areas outlined in the December 2015 Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly.
The Chief of Staff emphasised the investigators’ particular responsibility for society’s security and protection against terrorism and extremism. The investigators must shut down channels for financing extremists and terrorists, prevent them from recruiting Russian citizens, and prevent any attempts to destabilise the situation in Russia, including during the upcoming parliamentary election campaign, Mr Ivanov said.
He also named preventing corruption-related crimes as a priority for the Investigative Committee’s work in 2016. The Presidential Council for Countering Corruption, meeting on January 26, 2016, set the task of taking additional measures to guarantee that those guilty of corruption offences will be certain to see their assets liable to penalties. This was one of the tasks set directly by the President, Mr Ivanov said.
The Chief of Staff also raised the issue of decriminalising a number of non-serious crimes. In particular, Mr Ivanov said that investigators, in their work on economic cases, should keep a reasonable balance in their choice of measures and make greater use of bail and house arrest. Mr Ivanov said that this would make legislation more humane and reduce the number of people subjected to criminal penalties.