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Extradition case for Kemerovo mall fire suspect turned over to Polish ombudsperson

The case is still pending

A view of Zimnyaya Vishnya (Winter Cherry) shopping mall after the fire Danil Aikin/TASS

A view of Zimnyaya Vishnya (Winter Cherry) shopping mall after the fire

© Danil Aikin/TASS

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Kemerovo fire: One year after the tragedy that killed 60 people

WARSAW, August 2. /TASS/. Poland’s human rights ombudsperson, Adam Bodnar, has begun examining the extradition case of Vyacheslav Vishnevsky, the former manager of the Kemerovo confectionary factory who was accused of safety violations that caused a deadly fire at the Zimnyaya Vishnya (Winter Cherry) shopping mall, Lucas Staszewski, a spokesman for the Polish ombudsperson confirmed to TASS on Friday.

Earlier, a Polish court issued a ruling on Vishnevsky’s extradition to Russia. Under Polish legislation, the justice minister is to approve the ruling and only then could it be implemented. However, the Polish Justice Ministry told TASS "the case has not been considered yet since the files were handed to the human rights ombudsperson at his request."

"Unfortunately, at this stage we can inform you that the case is still pending, but it is being reviewed very intensively," Lucas Staszewski told TASS.

Vishnevsky is among 15 suspects in a high-profile criminal investigation opened after a fire broke out at a shopping mall in the western Siberian city of Kemerovo, killing 60 people, including 37 children. Vishnevsky fled from Russia and, according to the Investigative Committee, is absconding from justice. Moscow issued an international arrest warrant charging Vishnevsky with bribing the head of the region’s construction inspection team. Vishnevsky was detained in Poland and Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office submitted a request to Warsaw to extradite him.

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