MOSCOW, December 28 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian sailors who arrived home after almost two years in a Nigerian prison intend to sue the ship's owner, an official said Wednesday.
"The Russian sailors have been released after 26 months without pay," UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Ara Abramyan Abramyan said. "The Greek company should offer compensation."
According to the ambassador, the sailors said they had been illegally imprisoned.
"They certainly signed a document that they had no claims there, but prisoners in Nigeria can sign anything," Abramyan said. "They do have claims. I think that lawyers should handle the issue."
The Russian sailors arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo 2 Airport early Wednesday morning.
The 12 crewmembers of Greek-owned MT African Pride, found laden with suspected stolen oil 31 miles off Nigeria's coast in October 2003, were imprisoned in the country for nearly two years. They had been held at a maximum-security facility for several months until Nigerian authorities transferred them to a standard jail after repeated complaints from the Russian Foreign Ministry and family members.
On July 15, 2005, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed his Nigerian colleague Olu Adeniji in a letter stating that the situation surrounding the Russian sailors' imprisonment was hurting bilateral relations and urging Nigeria to close the case as soon as possible.
On July 26, 2005, Russian Justice Minister Yury Chaika sent a letter to his Nigerian colleague Bayo Ojo calling for a just resolution to the problem.
A decision to release the Russian crew on bail was made August 5, 2005 but later suspended due to excessive bureaucracy. The sailors were released on bail and accommodated at the Russian Chamber of Commerce in Lagos September 12. On December 14, a Nigerian court released the crew as part of a plea bargain.
The sailors were originally expected to arrive in Moscow December 22. However, the Nigerian Migration Service said the crew's passports were invalid and that they could not fly through London until December 27.
