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Moscow Court Rules That Probe Of Dead Lawyer Magnitsky Is Legal


Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in police custody in 2009.
Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in police custody in 2009.
MOSCOW -- Moscow City Court has ruled that investigations of deceased attorney Sergei Magnitsky are proper and legal and can continue.

The court on February 27 rejected an appeal by Magnitsky’s relatives to halt government investigations of the deceased attorney for the British-based Hermitage Capital Management.

Magnitsky, 37, was jailed after accusing Interior Ministry officials of involvement in a massive corruption scandal.

He later died in pre-trial detention in 2009 after suffering abuse and medical neglect.

In July, the U.S. State Department banned entry into the United States for dozens of unidentified Russian officials allegedly involved in the death of Magnitsky.

Magnitsky is being posthumously accused of embezzlement. These charges were initiated by the same government officials against whom Magnitsky had testified before his arrest in 2008, accusing them of embezzling some $230 million.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

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