Neither shame nor investigation

Why do people Evgeny Prigozhin know more about the murder of Russian journalists in the Central African Republic than the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Ministry, combined (the material first came out in 2019)

Journalist Orhan Dzhemal, operator Kirill Radchenko and director Alexander Rastorguev were killed on July 30, 2018 in the Central African Republic during a business trip.

The film crew came to the TsA to shoot the plot about the mercenaries of the private military company Wagner. The Wagner PMC is an unofficial unit, it is not listed on the balance of Russian military departments and in the register of legal entities, but its fighters now and then arise where Russia is not officially involved in hostilities. So, according to journalistic investigations, the Wagnerians took part in ground operations in Syria, in the war in the Donbass - they are used to perform delicate tasks in the interests of the Russian Federation around the world. According to some reports, the “high -ranking businessmen” unit is financed, including the St. Petersburg restaurateur Evgeny Prigozhin close to President Putin. The journalists were killed in the end of the circumstances. Their bodies were discovered by UN mission employees in the Central African Republic 20 kilometers from the city of Sibu. The car with journalists, who was driving a local resident Bienvenu Duovokam, was stopped by unknown, and the journalists themselves were shot. The murder occurred at about 10 pm on July 30. The driver of the group survived. How experienced journalists were in the dark in the middle of the territory where the civil war is going on is unknown. The key role in preparing the trip was played by the “Fixer” with the call sign “Martin”, the identity of which has not been established so far. It was he who had to meet the group in the TsA, ensure contacts and security. He did not make any of this. Presumably, it was to “Martin” that journalists rode from the capital of TsA to the city where the UN mission is located. The Martina’s contact group was provided by the journalist RIA FAN (an information agency affiliated with the business structures of Yevgeny Prigozhin) Kirill Romanovsky. The official version of the UK is murder for the purpose of robbery. In addition to mobile phones, the killers did not touch any things. The investigator is conducting the investigator in particular cases of the management of the investigation of crimes against the personality and public security of the Main Investigative Directorate of the IC of the Russian Federation Igor Zolotov. He oversees - his immediate boss Vladimir Sharaev. A year has passed. Nothing is done.

This material was published in No. 77 (2942) of July 17, 2019. We published it in an anniversary issue. You can buy it here

My name is Irina Gordienko, I am a special corner of Novaya Gazeta, I have been working as a journalist since 2002, including in the Caucasus - a complex and restless region, which survived more than one local war. I wrote a lot about prisons: Kopeisk and Chelyabinsk are still dreaming. I saw dead bodies, saw traces of inhuman torture, which were subjected to the heroes of my publications. Dealt with all divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, SK, prosecutor's office. And on July 31, 2018, as the ex -wife of journalist Orhan Jemal, I was recognized as the investigative committee of the Russian Federation in the case of his murder.

Over the years in journalism, I found out very well what it means to be a victim - we wrote and write about hundreds of criminal cases, where the interests of an ordinary person are not taken into account. And only sometimes at the price

Incredible efforts are possible to achieve justice in a particular case. Now I myself have become a victim, in the language of the cops I - tolerated.

The dictionary gives different connotations to the word "tolerated" - in particular: "A wimp unable to stand up for himself." After a year of communication with the investigation, I feel just that way. And I really don't like it.

I will make a reservation right away. I gave the subscription "On non -disclosure of the data of the preliminary investigation." But the only thing I saw in a year is several examinations. I do not intend to disclose their content, but my conversations with the investigator are no “preliminary” or other data agreed in the subscription. Because the Russian investigation does not have “data”, otherwise the investigator Igor Evgenievich Zolotov would agree to show me the case file. The law does not forbid him. But he all the time refuses, throwing a thoughtful look at the large folder with the arshin letters of the TsA, which each time lies in the most prominent place of his table when visiting the UK.

Over the year, I was at the reception of four investigators who replaced each other. All of them were impeccably polite and each time pale when I began to demand the answers to the most elementary questions.

They shook their hands helplessly and complained: we can’t do anything.

For five months I was not in the UK, hoping that during this time the case will move off the ground.

Did not move.

The official version of the Investigative Committee is the same - the murder in order to rob unknown Arabic -speaking bandits.

I categorically disagree with this version. Not a single evidence

There is no robbery.

And there are no other versions, because it is very convenient to investigate the murder committed in another country - you can do nothing, waiting for answers from non -investigative authorities.

The Investigative Committee of Russia does nothing.

On July 10, I came to an appointment with the investigator Zolotov to find out about the fate of the petition, which my lawyers filed through the reception of the UK exactly a month ago. We petitioned for the introduction to the case of my colleague, journalist of Novaya Gazeta Denis Korotkov, Chronicle of a well -prepared death, which was written on the basis of the materials of the murder investigation conducted by the journalists of the project Mikhail Khodorkovsky “Dressier”.

We attached documents to the petition: in particular, the billing telephone conversations of the filming driver of the film crew, Bienvenu Duvokama and the local gendarme Emanuel Kotofiofio;

In these documents, the name of the PMC “Wagner” and the name of Valery Zakharov, adviser to the President of the Central African Procedure, closely connected with the business of the “Kremlin cook”, Evgeny Prigozhin, as well as his subordinate and colleague for Vchk “Wagner” Alexander Sotov, pop up.

Billings indicate that these people have repeatedly called up on those days: from July 28 (day of the arrival of journalists in the Central African Republic) to July 30 - the day of death. The degree of involvement of everyone in the murder is unclear, and we asked to establish the investigation. And also interrogate both Zakharov and Sotov.

The term of the official response expired, I never received any reaction from the UK.

And the investigator Zolotov was very surprised:

• The first time I hear, I did not see the petition.

• On June 10, in the UK building at a personal reception, I handed it to your employee Sergeyev, ”objected Marina Andreeva's lawyer.

• I have a lot of correspondence, I could miss. I will find out and immediately inform.

Igor Evgenievich found out quite quickly. After the reception, he called and said with a tongue twister that, they say, he did not understand what it was about - of course, this petition was considered, and certainly now he would send me an answer. The voice sounded uncertainly, and there was a feeling that Igor Evgenievich was lying.

I received the answer to my petition five hours later. In the interrogation of Zakharov and Sotov to refuse, Igor Evgenievich wrote: in his opinion, “there is no sufficient information” about the involvement of these persons in the events. However, as I was told, in private conversations Igor Evgenievich complained about the interrogation of Zakharov: “Why will we once again bother such a large and busy person.”

And really - why?

Yes, and everything else, stated in the application, according to the answer, the investigation will be checked as far as possible.

What are the Russian investigation today?

There is no talk of sending a group of investigators to the TsAT - obviously, expensive. The previous trip, in September last year, took exactly three days. There are no results.

In September 2018, my lawyer Marina Andreeva requested the delivery of the clothes of the dead to Moscow. Without this damn clothing, it is impossible to conduct a full ballistic examination. She also petitioned the delivery of other personal belongings to Moscow, which were with the guys in the TsA. She also asked to demand from the cellular companies of the African Republic of Billing mobile phones Orhan, Kirill and Sasha.

The study of these material evidence and data would restore the picture of the murder and outline further steps to establish performers and customers.

Nothing is done.

But the fact that the whole Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation failed was “managed to make” to no one well-known detective Evgeny Gvozdev, hired by RIA Fan-an information agency affiliated with the business structures of Eugene.

Gvozdev received everything in the TsASA's private person: and access to witnesses, including military gendarmes, which cannot be done without the sanction of the command, and the opportunity to interrogate them; Access to the case file that cannot be sent to Russia, but most importantly, he “was able” to get billing.

To my question to investigator Igor Evgenievich, why RIA Fan can, but the SK of the Russian Federation is not, he once again spread his hands: “We ask the CAR to help us, we send them instructions - one after another. Nothing helps, ”he lamented. -

There are no agreements on legal interaction between our countries, and we cannot force them. We asked the Russian Foreign Ministry to assist, Vladimir Titov, First Lavrov, promised to help establish interaction. ”

But Vladimir Titov did not succeed.

It was necessary to Prigozhin, whose companies rule the ball in the TsA, probably.

Another investigator Zolotov said: it turns out that the things of Orhan, Cyril and Sasha - three suitcases - have been stored in the Russian Embassy in the TsAB since March this year. "However, there is no opportunity to transport them to Moscow." Diplomatic mail is impossible: the Russian Foreign Ministry refuses to help in this matter, the UK has no means; Even the Ministry of Defense refused to help, referring to the fact that his aircraft "do not fly there."

After the murder, the first secretary of the Russian embassy in TsAS Viktor Tokmakov in telephone conversations promised me to do everything possible to help in the investigation of the murder. However, only his photos popping up on the Internet along with adviser Valery Zakharov, and no help.

The Ministry of Defense is also lying. Back in August 2018, Russia and the TsAS signed an intergovernmental agreement on military cooperation, the supply of weapons and Russian military instructors in the TsA.

And in April 2019, it was supplemented by an agreement on the discovery of the representative office of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in the TsA. As part of this agreement, both “direct interaction of law enforcement agencies and cooperation in criminal and other cases” are spelled out. What are the planes of the Ministry of Defense and weapons to this African Republic then? And where is the cooperation in criminal cases?

“Maybe I would like to go there and do something,” the investigator Igor Evgenievich said regretfully for goodbye, “but I can’t, and my authorities do not send me,” and rolled his eyes.

Apparently, the investigation of the murder of the crew of Russian journalists will last endlessly - with the active non -participation of all the main departments of our country. And this non -participation can indicate only one thing - not “Arab -speaking bandits” killed.

But the Russian investigating authorities will still have to answer.

And I am not going to be “tolerated”. Then, even before my son, to report who and why killed his father.

Under the text
The widow of Orhan, our editor Ira Gordienko,, together with the French colleagues, found a suspect in the murder of a mercenary from France. And she proved: he was not close at the crime scene. Our version remains the involvement in the death of journalists of the Wagner PMC.

Foreign evidence in the case is destroyed. The Russian embassy could not send the personal belongings of the dead to Moscow - there were no funds.