Probe into Russian lawyer Magnitsky’s death extended by three months

MOSCOW, May 17 (RIA Novosti) – The deadline of an investigation into the death in custody of Russian anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky has been extended until August 24, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Tuesday.

Magnitsky died aged 37 in a Moscow pre-trial detention facility in 2009 after being refused medical treatment for pancreatitis.

The Committee says it is awaiting the results of medical examinations involving leading Russian doctors.

Magnitsky was imprisoned after defending British investment company Hermitage Capital Management, once Russia’s top foreign investor, against tax evasion charges,

The lawyer accused Russian tax and Interior Ministry officials of using Hermitage to carry out a $230 million tax fraud.

The probe, due to end on May 17, has already been prolonged once.

Although President Dmitry Medvedev fired several senior prison officials over Magnitsky’s death, no one has been prosecuted.

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