Russian Lawyer Who Died in Jail Uncovered $107M Tax Rebate Fraud, Hedge Fund Alleges
As an investigation apparently has stalled concerning what some claim to have been Russian government wrongdoing in a massive tax rebate fraud case related to the death of a jailed Russian lawyer, a Russia-focused hedge fund for which Sergei Magnitsky did legal work is seeking a new criminal investigation.
Hermitage Capital filed a complaint on Friday with Russia’s State Investigative Committee, contending that a similar $107 million tax rebate fraud, also uncovered by attorney Magnitsky before his death in 2009 at age 37, occurred in 2006, reports Barron’s.
“We hope to thoroughly embarrass the Russian government into action,” the fund’s founder, Bill Browder, told the business publication.
The Telegraph also has a story about the latest call for an investigation.
In an interview with the Financial Times (reg. req.), the president of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, called Magnitsky’s death a “sad incident,” but said as well in lengthy comments on what he described as a complicated matter that it is being politicized and further investigation is needed.
The status of the earlier investigation into a similar claimed $230 million tax rebate fraud in 2007 is detailed in prior articles in Bloomberg, the Moscow Times, the New York Times (reg. req.) and the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.).
Earlier coverage:
ABA Journal: “Russia Claws at the Rule of Law”
ABAJournal.com: “Kremlin Fires Prison Head, 19 Staff, After Death of Jailed Lawyer”
ABAJournal.com: “Law Firm Founder Flees Russia, Says He Feared Suffering Same Fate as Dead Colleague”
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer Who Died in Russian Prison is Now Accused of $230M Fraud”
