MOSCOW, August 22. /TASS/. The reform at Russia’s Investigative Committee began long before the high-profile corruption scandal and the detention of high-ranking officials, official spokesman Vladimir Markin said on Monday.

"The reorganization is underway. It began long before that case," Markin told the Vesti FM radio station.

Markin thanked Russia’s Federal Security Service for having revealed the illegal activity of the IC officers, adding that the detention was a very sensitive issue and a "huge flaw of the personnel."

"The staff members of the Main department for inter-departmental cooperation and internal security were involved in this case. Of course, this department will be reformed," Markin confirmed.

Last month, a spokesman for the FSB told TASS a number of Russia’s Investigative Committee officers were suspected of taking bribes from organized crime figures. The bribe to high-placed officials equals 500,000 euros as the materials of the case suggest, lawyer for a suspect Olga Lukmanova said.