I would like to give some details in connection with the information posted today in media that the criminal investigation had been launched against deputy head of one of the departments of Far Eastern Federal District Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee Sergey Olkhovnikov. As for the criminal case, this is unfortunately not the first one and let’s face the truth not the last criminal case opened against our staff. The senior officials of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have never had a single doubt about whether to open the case against its personnel or not if there were good reasons for doing so. Moreover, such facts were made public on our initiative. To confirm it you can go to the official website of the Russian Investigative Committee, which publishes all the reports on the acts of corruption revealed among the personnel.

As for the assumptions of some media that the information about an aide to one of the deputies allegedly took the Chairman of the Investigative Committee by surprise and that he could not decide what to do for a long time, I can assure you that it is absolutely untrue. A few days ago as soon as the Chairman had learned about Olkhovnikov’s testimonies alleging that the said aide might have been involved in the crime, it was he, who without any hesitation made a decision to hold a procedural check into the fact. And believe me, either rank or position has never in the least mattered for the Chairman in making such decisions. Take for example the case against former head of the Main Investigations Directorate D. Dovgy.

It is constant work to prevent and reveal acts of corruption and first of all among its own personnel, which is one of the main elements of the Committee’s activity, that gives us the legitimate and moral right to respond as toughly to any acts of corruption, including those among personnel of other law enforcement agencies and officials of any rank, whatever position or rank.

Head of Media Relations                                                                                                 V.I. Markin