Investigation into Magnitsky’s case continues

The Voice of Russia

Russia’s Prosecutor General has found no violations on the part of the investigator, who handled the case of Sergei Magnitsky, a spokesman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, said on Monday. At the request of Russia’s Investigative Committee, the Office of the Prosecutor General checked the legality of actions, taken by the investigators regarding the Hermitage Capital Investment Fund worker Sergei Magnitsky.

Lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was accused of tax evasion regarding his revenues from the work of the companies belonging to the investment fund. According to the investigators, the Hermitage Capital Investment Fund and the Firestone Duncan Consulting Firm, where Magnitsky headed the Tax and Audit Department, created a scheme of tax evasion with the use of a ramified network of branch companies. As a result, more than 5 billion roubles were stolen.

The investigation into the case started in 2007, and on November 24th, Magnitsky was arrested on charges of offering help to the Hermitage Capital Head William Browder in tax evasion. The case against William Browder was opened as well, and he was immediately put on the wanted list. For its part, the administration of the investment fund says that the money was stolen by raiders and that the workers of the law-enforcement bodies were involved in the above-mentioned corruption deal.

Sergei Magnitsky was put in a Moscow pre-trial detention centre, where he died on November 16th, 2009. According to the Office of the Russian Prosecutor General, the 37-year-old lawyer died from cardiovascular insufficiency. However, those in the Hermitage Capital Investment Fund say that it would have been possible to save Magnitsky, if medical help had been offered to him in time. Magnitsky’s case caused extensive public comment. For the investigation of all circumstances President Dmitry Medvedev gave instructions to those in charge to set up a working group on this case.

Experts from the Office of the Russian Prosecutor General, who also took part in the checking procedure, came to the conclusion that investigator Oleg Silchenko, who handled the Magnitsky case made no violations during the process. However, the Human Rights Chamber under the Russian President has a different opinion, its Chairman Valery Borshchev said in an interview with the Voice of Russia:

“Investigator Silchenko refused to satisfy the request of Magnitsky’s lawyers to transfer him to the prison hospital, where he was due to undergo ultrasonic examination and to be operated on. That is why Silchenko is responsible for Magnitsky’s not being sent to the hospital in time.”

And still, we can’t regard the present-day conclusion of the Office of the Russian Prosecutor General as final in the Magnitsky case, Valery Borshchev said:

“A working group for conducting an investigation into the Magnitsky case has been set up under the Presidential Council For Civil Society. Soon we’ll tell the President what we think about this case, and of course, our opinion is different from that of the Russian Prosecutor General.”

In this case, the check that was carried out by the Office of the Russian Prosecutor General is only part of exhausting work. Experts are studying thoroughly not only all the circumstances of Magnitsky’s death but also the grounds which made it possible to open a criminal case against him. Some days ago President Medvedev said that this story is not as simple as mass media say sometimes. Possibly, there’re tax crimes and large-scale embezzlement in this case too. Therefore, the work should be done to find out everything and find all those involved. займы без отказа микрозайм онлайн https://zp-pdl.com/emergency-payday-loans.php https://zp-pdl.com/online-payday-loans-in-america.php займы без отказа