A slow and inadequate response to Lebedev’s grave complaint

The Ingodinsky district court in Chita has adjourned until 31 July its hearing of Platon Lebedev’s complaint against the inactivity of Yury Chaika, the RF Prosecutor General.

On 21 February 2008 Lebedev submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, accusing the investigators of the prosecution service of “official deception and falsification of indictments”. The plaintiff requested that the instances he detailed be investigated and measures taken to halt the “grave crimes against justice”, perpetrated by the team of investigators.

At the Prosecutor General's office Lebedev’s complaint was passed to Prosecutor Valery Lakhtin, who oversees the investigation into the charges against the former head of Group Menatep. On 20 March a reply was despatched from the Prosecutor General's office, signed by Lakhtin, refusing point blank to address the complaint. The defence lawyers consider that the failure to present any justification in this text for such a decision and the absence of a ruling against which an appeal might subsequently be lodged was a violation of Platon Lebedev’s constitutional right to defence.

It was only on 22 July that a faxed copy of a ruling, properly formulated by Mr Lakhtin, was passed from the Prosecutor General's office to the prosecution service of the Transbaikal Region. However, the defence only gained the possibility of studying this document during today’s hearing. (The first hearing of Lebedev’s complaint took place at the Ingodinsky district court seven days ago, on 18 July.)

Lebedev’s defence team further note that no documents confirming Prosecutor Lakhtin’s authority to reply to a complaint which was personally directed to the Russian Federation’s Prosecutor General Mr Yu.Ya. Chaika, have yet been presented to the court.