Russia’s investigation into the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky has been “inadequate,” U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.
“The investigation into the circumstances of Magnitsky’s death has been inadequate and has failed to produce justice,” Nuland said.
“We continue to call on Russian authorities to conduct a genuine investigation, to prosecute and punish those responsible for Magnitsky’s death,” she added.
Arrested on tax evasion charges just days after accusing police investigators in a $230 million tax refund fraud, Magnitsky died after almost a year in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center in Moscow in November 2009.
On Monday Russian prosecutors said they had closed a criminal case on negligence charges against Larisa Litvinova, a doctor at the pre-trial detention facility where Magnitsky died. Hermitage Capital reported earlier in the day that Litvinova’s case was closed because the statute of limitations had expired.
Another prison doctor, Dmitry Kratov, is the only official still facing charges over Magnitsky's death. He may be jailed for five years if found guilty.
