Hermitage Capital: self-exposure occurred

The Hermitage Capital Foundation will seek to bring to justice the doctor of the Butyrsky pre-trial detention center Larisa Litvinova, who is no longer accused of causing the death by negligence of the foundation’s lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. Investigator of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Marina Lomonosova ruled that the crime committed by the doctor was a careless criminal act of minor gravity, the statute of limitations for which had expired.

“Self-exposure occurred. The investigation dropped all masks, now it became obvious that the entire process of accusing the switchmen of Sergei’s murder through negligence was initially aimed at silencing public opinion, which demanded that the corrupt officials - Magnitsky’s killers - be brought to justice. For this purpose, the investigation for three years pretended to be conducting an investigation into Sergei’s death. Now it has become clear that no investigation was ever carried out. At first, charges were brought against the wrong people who were directly involved to the murder of Magnitsky in “Matrosskaya Tishina”, and to the accomplices of his torture. Now these accusations are “merged,” Hermitage Capital says.

“We will insist on bringing everyone involved in the murder of Sergei Magnitsky. Litvinova is no exception. But we believe that she is guilty not of what the investigation charges her with - not of an error in diagnosis, but of complicity in deliberate torture,” the Hermitage Capital fund told PublicPost. Since Litvinova no longer faces criminal punishment, it is possible that her life will develop quite successfully, the foundation notes: “We have seen that all the other people involved in torture and murder have advanced in their careers, and we do not see what could interfere with Litvinova’s career growth.”

The foundation believes that initially the investigation into the death of Sergei Magnitsky “was nothing more than creating an appearance to reassure the international and Russian public.” According to the management of the fund, the investigation did everything to delay the investigation into the death of the lawyer. 20 months after Magnitsky’s death, a criminal case was opened against Larisa Litvinova, Butyrka’s doctor. Investigator Marina Lomonosova charged the doctor under Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Causing death by negligence”), the statute of limitations for which is 2 years, while the foundation insisted that Litvinova intentionally did not provide medical assistance to the lawyer (the statute of limitations for this crime is 10 years). The investigation stated that Magnitsky suffered from diabetes and hepatitis, so his death was irreversible, and the pre-trial detention center doctors were unable to diagnose them. Hermitage Capital responded to this by stating that the investigation attributed non-existent illnesses to Magnitsky. The Foundation believes that the actions of investigator Lomonosova were initially aimed at diverting doctor Butyrka Litvinova from responsibility.

Magnitsky’s colleagues continue to insist that the employees of Butyrka, where Magnitsky was transferred from Matrosskaya Tishina, knew that he was suffering from cholelithiasis and pancreatitis and that he needed urgent surgery, but nevertheless signed certificates stating that the lawyer could be in custody. According to Magnitsky's medical card, the only actions that Litvinova performed were measuring pulse, blood pressure and temperature. 4 days before his death, she discharged Magnitsky to be transferred to a new cell in Butyrka, and in the medical history she indicated that she had carefully examined Magnitsky. However, all this day Sergei Magnitsky was in the Tverskoy Court of Moscow. The information provided by the pre-trial detention center about Magnitsky’s health condition was further used by Judge Stashina to further extend Magnitsky’s detention. After the death of Sergei Magnitsky, Larisa Litvinova received a promotion and went to work at the Moscow Federal Penitentiary Service.

Currently, the only defendant in the case of the death of Sergei Magnitsky is the former deputy head of the Butyrka pre-trial detention center, responsible for medical support, Dmitry Kratov. “As in the case of Litvinova’s doctor, the investigation accuses him of something completely different from the crime that was committed, namely negligence, so it is very likely that Litvinova’s fate awaits him,” Hermitage Capital told PublicPost.

Sergei Magnitsky, a tax and legal consultant for the investment fund Hermitage Capital, died at the age of 37 in a Moscow pre-trial detention center on November 16, 2009. He was accused of tax evasion. The lawyer was not provided with the medical care he desperately needed. Magnitsky’s relatives and colleagues are confident that the reason for his criminal prosecution was the scheme he uncovered to steal 5.4 billion rubles. Money from the budget was stolen by officials and law enforcement officers, and with the arrest of Magnitsky they wanted to hide the thefts. After the death of the lawyer, the case against him was closed. But in the summer of 2011, the investigation was resumed by decision of the leadership of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Independent investigations by experts from the Presidential Human Rights Council, journalists and foundation employees showed that the lawyer was severely beaten before his death. Hermitage Capital published a report in which it presented previously unpublished documents - photographs, protocols, reports. The photographs were taken on November 17, 2009 - the day after the death of Sergei Magnitsky in the Matrosskaya Tishina hospital. They clearly show signs of violence - bruises and bruises. In the report, the foundation published the initial death certificate, which indicated a closed craniocerebral injury. However, she later disappeared from the documents.

Photo: russian-untouchables.com

2 years have passed since the death of the lawyer. The circumstances and those involved in his death are known, but none of them were punished. PublicPost dossier: history of the issue, developments. >>>