MOSCOW. Aug 16 (Interfax-AVN) - In accordance with the proposals sent to the Russian Security Council, the status of military prosecutors will be changed, with military prosecution officials due to be transferred from the military to civilian service, a source told Interfax-AVN on Monday.
"At its next session, the Security Council is planning to consider reforming the military prosecution authorities and transferring the staff from the military to civilian service. This matter has already been agreed upon with the Russian Prosecutor General's Office," the source said.
The status of military prosecutors is due to change from January 1, 2013, he said.
"In January 2008, it was decided to abolish the institution of detached duty and military courts were transferred from the military to civilian service. Now it is the turn of military prosecutors," the source said.
For his part, Lt. Gen. Mikhail Sorokin, a member of the Federation Council Defense and Security Committee, said that, "changing the status of military prosecution will be a positive phenomenon rather than a negative one."
"The question of transferring military prosecutors to civil service has been discussed for a long time. Of course, it will not be easy to detach military prosecution from troops, but, in my view, it is not going to make things worse. Of course, this objective will require time, including preparation of statutory acts related to the activities of military prosecutors in the new status," Sorokin told Interfax-AVN on Monday.
The re-organization of the military prosecution system is currently associated with the creation of the institution of military police in the Russian Armed Forces, Sorokin said.