Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday signed a law establishing a federal investigations committee.

The law follows up on an earlier decision to reorganize the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office as "an independent federal structure" answering directly to the president.

The law aims to separate prosecutorial supervisory and preliminary investigative functions, enhances the committee's status and expands its jurisdiction.

Any government official, representative of a public organization or mass media attempting to influence federal investigators will be held liable.

GORKI (Moscow region), December 28 (RIA Novosti)