Aleksandr Lukashenko meets with Investigation Committee chief Valentin Shayev

    Optimization of the work of the Investigation Committee was discussed at the working meeting by President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko and Chairman of the Investigation Committee Valentin Shayev on 20 November. Attending the meeting were also State Secretary of the Security Council Leonid Maltsev, KGB Chairman Valery Vakulchik and Prosecutor General Alexander Konyuk.

    “The first months of the operation of the Investigation Committee revealed the need to revise the size of its staff and the structure,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. The President noted that he meant the reduction in the previously determined number of staff.

    “As for the structure, it is a technical matter; we agreed that we will approve the suggested new structure of the Investigation Committee if needed and if no one objects,” the head of state said.

    “It was right to decide to come to grips with it right away. If you see any bottlenecks, any flaws, they should be removed in time,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

    The President emphasized that the funds saved by the optimization of the number of employees and the structure, should remain in the given organization: “Be it the KGB, the public prosecution office, the Investigation Committee or the police, the money should be kept and used for the development of the structure and for pay rises for employees”. Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed Leonid Maltsev to take charge of the matter.

    The head of state was informed about the major areas of the optimization, including a possibility to set up interregional offices of the Investigation Committee and more compact subdivisions with unwavering focus on fair and thorough investigation of criminal cases.