Support The Moscow Times!

Magnitsky's Mother Asks for New Case Against Son to Be Closed

Correction appended:

The mother of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in custody in 2009 while awaiting trial on tax evasion charges, has asked the Interior Ministry to close a new case against her son.

"The illegal actions of officials have inflicted unnecessary pain and suffering upon me, which I consider to be another attempt by the investigators to make me give up my position of achieving justice for my dead son and bringing to justice those who participated in his illegal prosecution and murder," Natalya Magnitskaya said, Interfax reported.

Earlier this month, the Hermitage Capital fund — where Magnitsky worked before his death — released a statement saying officials had opened a new case against the deceased lawyer for the alleged embezzlement of almost 5.5 billion rubles ($158.4 million). However, officials denied the allegations, saying it was not "practice to bring court cases against dead people."

In July 2013, Magnitsky was convicted posthumously of  more than $15 million in taxes along with Hermitage Capital CEO William Browder.


An earlier version of this story said that Magnitsky was awaiting trial on embezzlement charges. They were in fact tax evasion charges. The earlier version also said that Magnitsky was convicted posthumously of embezzlement, whereas the conviction was actually for avoiding paying taxes.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more