Former Prime Minister Felix Kulov has spoken about the draft to create the Investigative Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, which has been put forward for public discussion. In his view, the crime investigation system genuinely needs further improvement, and he generally supports the idea of creating such a body.
Objections to mixing investigation functions
However, Kulov focuses attention on the provisions of the proposed Concept that raise serious objections from him. These objections concern not secondary organizational matters but fundamental principles on which, he says, the effectiveness of the new body, respect for legality and the protection of citizens' rights will depend.
The problem of combining roles
Kulov's main concern is the model under which an investigator simultaneously serves as an operative officer. This means that one person must perform several functions: identify crimes, conduct operative work, work with sources of information, carry out investigative actions, gather evidence and make procedural decisions.
Although at first glance such a model may seem attractive — one officer is responsible for everything from prevention to solving and investigating crimes, which, according to the authors of the Concept, will increase personal accountability — Kulov believes that in reality it carries risks.
