Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika Under Orders to Focus Attention on the Notorius Magnitsky Case

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Two criminal proceedings are associated with Magnitsky, lawyer in the employ of Hermitage Capital Management who died behind the bars. One of them concerns criminal charges pressed against Magnitsky himself, the investigation is carried out by the Interior Ministry’s Investigative Committee. The other deals with circumstances of his demise in prison, investigated by the Russian Investigative Committee. The Prosecutor General’s Office is supposed to run a check on both investigations.

It should be noted that the Prosecutor General’s Office completed examination of the former criminal proceedings on the request from the Russian Investigative Committee earlier this week. It said it had uncovered no violations. Three days later, Medvedev told Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika to “boost procuracy supervision” and run another check. Meeting with his American counterpart Barack Obama last week, the president had been reminded of the importance the U.S. Administration was attaching to impartial investigation of the lawyer’s death.

Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights Michael H. Pozner made a statement in the meantime. He said that the U.S. Administration welcomed the judiciary reforms and reorganization of law enforcement agencies launched in Russia but was distressed by the lack of progress in the investigation of Magnitsky’s death.

His audience with the president over, Chaika told journalists that he would handpick “the very best” [prosecutors] for the task outlined by Medvedev.

Ivan Cherkasov, one of Magnitsky’s colleagues and co-defendants (his arrest was warranted by court but an appeal was submitted), offered a somewhat cynical explanation of the activeness demonstrated by Chaika. He said that Chaika’s term of office as the prosecutor general was ending in approximately three weeks. “It’s weird, you know, that the president would instruct none other than Chaika to investigate the matter in hand. After all, it is this same Chaika who bears responsibility for the criminal dereliction of duty and whatever else that led to Magnitsky’s demise.”

According to Cherkasov, Chaika repeatedly refused to react to Magnitsky’s complaints from behind the bars (“While he was alive, that was”). “Neither did the Prosecutor General’s Office respond to the countless appeals from Hermitage functionaries on embezzlement and pilfering from he Russian budget.”

Cherkasov recalled that Magnitsky had made at least two dozens complaints to Chaika in the twelve months of imprisonment in Matrosskaya Tishina. “Not one of these complaints was handled in the manner it should have been handled. In fact, lots of complaints were just ignored,” said Cherkasov.

“Sergei’s lawyers submitted the last complaint in September 2009. They reported Magnitsky under physical and psychological pressure. They emphasized that he was denied medical aid… Chaika’s Prosecutor General’s Office would not even consider this complaint. Magnitsky died two months later… The president told Chaika to boost procuracy supervision. How can one boost whatever does not even exist in the first place?”

Cherkasov said that the Prosecutor General’s Office would never admit being at fault. “There is only one solution. Chaika and his whole team ought to be fired.”

Mikhail Fedotov, Chairman of the Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, said that public expertise of the Magnitsky’s case would be over in late June. The president will be acquainted with its findings and conclusions in early July. hairy girl займ на карту срочно без отказа https://zp-pdl.com/online-payday-loans-cash-advances.php www.zp-pdl.com hairy woman