Magnitsky-linked criminal at debate

The Telegraph

Russian delegates at a debate, calling for action against individuals linked to Sergei Magnitsky’s death, handed their passes to a convicted criminal connected to the crime.

Russian delegates at a cross-border parliamentary debate, calling for action against individuals linked to the death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, handed their passes for the event to a convicted criminal connected to the crime.

Dmitry Klyuev, who served a two-year suspended sentence for attempted fraud and has been accused of laundering money for a fraud uncovered by Mr Magnitsky, was pictured at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) assembly in Monaco over the weekend, wearing a delegation badge. He was accompanied by his lawyer, who also appeared to have been given one of the Russian officials’ access passes.

US Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain accused Mr Klyuev of running a “transnational criminal organisation”.

The motion to ban visas for the 60 Russians, several of whom are state officials, won overwhelmingly support – with only the delegations from Russia and Belarus opposing it. The US has already banned the 60 and Swiss authorities froze some of their accounts.

The OSCE meets once a year to debate issues of human rights, military action, economics and the environment.

Mr Magnitsky’s case has become a diplomatic sore for Moscow.
The lawyer was working for the UK-based hedge fund Hermitage Capital Management when he found that a criminal conspiracy had stolen from the state the $230m (£148m) the firm had paid in taxes in 2007.
After implicating police and tax officials in the crime, he was imprisoned on charges of tax evasion and held in prison for a year where he died after being refused medical treatment. The Russian authorities convicted a sawmill foreman for the hugely complex fraud.

A Hermitage spokesman said: “It is remarkable that Russian officials would advocate for a convicted felon and his partner.” срочный займ на карту онлайн займ на карту срочно без отказа https://zp-pdl.com/how-to-get-fast-payday-loan-online.php https://zp-pdl.com/how-to-get-fast-payday-loan-online.php займ срочно без отказов и проверок