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Defendants in Sayano-Shushenskaya case face new charges

The Investigation Committee will issue a new charge against the defendants in the criminal case over the hydro disaster at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower plant

MOSCOW, February 1 (Itar-Tass) —— The Russian Investigation Committee will issue a new charge against seven defendants in the criminal case over the hydro disaster at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower plant that took place in August 2009, when 75 people died, spokesman of the Investigation Committee Vladimir Markin told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

He recalled that seven chief executives and officials of the hydropower plant were earlier charged with violation of the labour safety rules that caused the death of two and more people through negligence.

“However, by the time the criminal case was submitted to the prosecutor on December 8, 2011 the amendments in the Criminal Code came into force. The crimes, for which the maximum sentence does not exceed three years in prison, were taken as moderately grave. The statute of limitation gives two years for these crimes. An article, under which the defendants were charged, was ruled for this type of crimes, and the statute of limitations expired under this article,” Markin noted.

After the criminal case is brought back from the Prosecutor General’s Office the detectives “will reconsider the accusations.”

“The defendants will face a new charge under Article 216 of the Criminal Code for violation of the safety procedures  in mining, construction and other types of operations that entailed the death of two and more people through negligence, therefore, there are no reasons to terminate their persecution,” Markin underlined.