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Court of jury acquits captain, sailor in Nerpa nuke submarine case

The jury of the Pacific Court Martial acquitted the defendants in the Nerpa nuclear-powered submarine accident, which killed 20 people in 2008

VLADIVOSTOK, September 30 (Itar-Tass) —— The jury of the Pacific Court Martial acquitted the defendants in the Nerpa nuclear-powered submarine accident, which killed 20 people in 2008.

The jury acquitted Captain First Rank Dmitry Lavrentyev “of office abuse that entailed the death of two and more people through negligence” an engine driver Petty Officer II Class Dmitry Grobov of “causing death of two and more people through negligence as a result of the improper performance of their professional duties and inflicting a heavy damage to the health through negligence as a result of the improper performance of professional duties, a source in the court secretariat told Itar-Tass on Friday.

Under the acquittal decision by the jury the court will hand down a verdict, which cannot find the defendants guilty under the law.

On November 8, 2008 the nuclear-powered submarine, which was not put into service of the Russian Navy, during the sea trial the automatic firefighting system was activated in the Sea of Japan (the East Sea). Some 20 people were killed and 21 more people sustained various poisonings in the incident.

The Pacific Court Martial began the merit proceedings with the jury behind closed doors in June 2011.