Stop the Untouchables. Justice for Sergei Magnitsky.

Prosecutors drop charges in Magnitsky killing to leave family at square one

The Independent

Supporters of Russian anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky have seen their hopes of justice fade after it emerged that prosecutors have withdrawn charges against the only person to be tried in connection with his death.

An investigation into the death of Mr Magnitsky in Moscow’s Butyrka prison in 2009 saw charges brought against two people, both doctors: Larisa Litvinova, who was responsible for the lawyer’s treatment during the last weeks of his life, and Dmitri Kratov, who at the time was the chief medical official at the prison.

Charges of professional negligence against Dr Litvinova were dropped earlier this year after prosecutors claimed the statute of limitations had run out, and on Monday the state prosecutor, Konstantin Bokov, urged the court to acquit Dr Kratov. “There is no cause-and-effect relationship between Kratov’s actions and Magnitsky’s death,” Mr Bokov is reported to have said. “I request his acquittal.” The court is expected to make its ruling on Friday.

Mr Magnitsky died in November 2009 after nearly a year in jail – the victim, former colleagues say, of retribution from the same police investigators he had accused of stealing $230m from the state through fraudulent tax refunds. The 37-year-old’s death was attributed by the prison to a heart attack, but Mr Magnitsky’s supporters insist he was fatally beaten after exposing what he described as a web of corruption.