Lawyer death investigated in Russia
Updated on 24 November 2009
The Kremlin has ordered an investigation into the death of a lawyer who was representing a fund manager who has been barred from Russia on national security grounds.
Sergei Magnitsky, who was a leading witness in a tax fraud case, died in a Moscow prison from what prosecutors said was heart failure.
The Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has now demanded an inquiry into his death, following claims that he was denied medical treatment.
Bill Browder, the chief executive of Hermitage, the company Magnitsky worked for, said: "The big picture here is that the Russian criminal justice system is occupied by members of organised crime who are using their powers to terrorise innocent individuals like Sergei.
"This can happen to anybody, anyone doing business in Russia is at risk of being killed by corrupt police officers."
A spokesman for Russia's Interior Ministry did not answer calls seeking comment on Browder's allegations. A Justice Ministry spokeswoman declined to comment over the phone.
