Events

Alexander Bastrykin took part in a working meeting of the Investigative Committee Public Council held to discuss issues of ongoing activities of the deliberative body.

The meeting was attended by: member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly Andrey Klishas; Honoured Master of Sports of USSR Alexander Yakushev; Chairman of the Academy of Military Sciences Makhmut Gareev; Chairman of the Presidium of the National Association of Investigation Veterans Organizations “Union of Investigation Veterans” Vladimir Dontsov; member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly Svetlana Zhurova; Chairman of the Military Commanders Club and acting member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences Andrey Lisitsin-Svetlanov; People’s Artist of Russia Andrey Martynov; Honoured Artist of Russia Alexander Marshal; President of the Emergency Children’s Surgery and Traumatology Research Institute Leonid Roshal; Director of the Emergency Children’s Surgery and Traumatology Research Institute Valery Mitish; member of the Union of Writers Mikhail Nozhkin; Deputy Director - Chief of production of law programmes of direction of informational programmes “Vesti” on Rossia TV channel Eduard Petrov; member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly Alexey Pushkov; archpriest, head of Patriarchal Commission for family issues and protection of motherhood and childhood, Vice-Rector of the Orthodox Svyato-Tikhonovsky Liberal Arts University father Dimitry; Rector of the Moscow State Institute (University) of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Anatoly Torkunov; Director General of the State Tretyakov Gallery Zelfira Tregulova; editor-in-chief of Rossiyskaya Gazeta Vladislav Fronin; Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation Stanislav Shubin; People’s Artist of USSR and art director of the Schukin Theatre Institute Vladimir Etush; People’s Artist of the Russian Federation Yury Antonov; and head of “Crime” department of the Kommersant newspaper Maxim Varyvdin. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee Igor Krasnov and chiefs of several units of the Central Office of the Committee.

The meeting was opened by Alexander Bastrykin. He thanked all the participants and remembered the comrades who had worked in the Public Council for a long time but were unfortunately gone: Arkady Arkanov, Joseph Kobzon, Oleg Tabakov. “They did a lot for the country and for the Investigative Committee. They were talented in all respects, but their main talent was their love to people and clear citizenship. Their creative encounters with us became true lessons of courage,” Alexander Bastrykin underlined. The participants of the meeting paid tribute to the memory of those legendary people by a minute of silence.

Continuing his speech, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia informed the public about certain results of the work of the Committee and plans for the next year. “Since 2011, we have referred to court almost 800,000 investigations including 70,000 inquiries into corruption offenses. Over 8,000 persons with a special legal status have been brought to justice. In our work, we focus on compensation of damage inflicted by offences. During preliminary investigations and procedural probes we have compensated over 250 billion roubles of damage to the state and affected citizens,” he noted.

The Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia paid special attention to a new area of work: “We have concluded a cooperation agreement with relative authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic and achieved success in investigating of crimes against Russian military officers committed in Syria.” He also noted that criminal investigations into use of prohibited war means in Donbass are ongoing: “We register all the crimes to subsequently prove guilt of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the world justice.”

The Head of the Committee told about investigation of past years crimes. In 2007, when the Investigative Committee had been created, it had received over 200,000 unsolved criminal cases from the Prosecutor’s Office. “Active development of forensic units, new developments and advanced technologies enabled us to significantly reduce this number. Since 2007, investigators together with inquest authorities have solved over 70,000 of past year crimes, the probes into which had been previously suspended,” the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia outlined.

Alexander Bastrykin shared plans for future development of the institutional educational system: five branches of the Investigative Committee Academies will be opened next year. He underlined that the Investigative Committee carries out an active upbringing work inculcating young people, future officers, with sense of patriotism and high moral standards in order to avoid formalism and indifference towards people. “With your help we carry out a lot of events in order to find contact with our youth. Due to your authority, knowledge and enthusiasm creative encounters are now wide-spread in the Investigative Committee. In that, we are also intended to retain veterans and middle management officers as a so called investigative core possessing enormous investigative experience,” he added.

Speaking about future plans, Alexander Bastrykin suggested the Council members’ – “experienced and wise professionals” - taking part in development and future discussion of legislative projects and initiatives concerning activities of the Investigative Committee. He also urged the participants to join the Investigative Committee in its work for moral and physical development of the younger generation and suggested considering some measures for training of future universities graduates.

The Chairman of the Public Council Alexander Yakushev suggested all interested Council members’ speaking about and discussing future activities of the deliberative body for the next year.

Andrey Klishas thanked Alexander Bastrykin for his “clear and sound position that really helps to protect rights of those who are least protected: juveniles and other participants of legal proceedings, especially the victims.” He noted that the Investigative Committee raises questions of significant importance. “We are satisfied with our interaction with the Investigative Committee, but we wish to cooperate more closely in the fields of development and discussion of legislative initiatives,” Andrey Klishas concluded.

Alexey Pushkov touched on a subject of providing of support to citizens who had found themselves in a challenging situation and whose rights had been violated with social injustice. According to the senator, the Investigative Committee is attuned to every single such case and tries to respond quickly instead of shutting it out. “This attitude commands respect,” Alexey Pushkov said.

Anatoly Kulikov noted that today the Investigative Committee of Russia holds strong positions in the law enforcement system and in the public’s eye, and we see officials of varying power ending up in the dock for their crimes. At that, he stressed, the issue of corruption does not lose its immediacy, and a measure to “decrease the corruption level to socially acceptable” is to pay higher attention to assigning to positions endangered by corruption risks.

In his speech, Mikhail Nozhkin thanked Alexander Bastrykin for his report “imbued with details of actual cases”. He backed the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia on the subject of education of future law enforcement officers, noting that “the investigator’s job is very dangerous and trying. This is why hard-working and psychologically prepared employees alone should be doing it.”

Svetlana Zhurova gave a high rating to the scheme of cooperation with the Investigative Committee on sending of inquiries for citizens’ applications that she receives. For her part, she suggested improving the algorithm on immediate matters, thus ensuring the top efficiency of the interaction.

Also, Leonid Roshal had the floor to thank the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia for his extensive support and assistance to children, as well as for his kind treatment exceeding his job description. Leonid Roshal appreciated the Investigative Committee’s genuine desire to try on the doctors’ shoes, to maintain the dialogue, and to reach a mutual understanding.

Closing the meeting, Alexander Bastrykin thanked all of the participants for their cordial words and great appreciation for the Committee’s work and wished everyone a happy New Year.

The Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia presented institutional awards to members of the Public Council for their energetic contribution to the Investigative Committee’s handling of the set tasks.

Official spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of Russia S. Petrenko