A court has recognized the evidence collected by the Chuvash Republic Office of the Investigative Committee sufficient to convict former acting head of day care center No 40 Radost (Joy) in the town of Novocheboksarsk. She was found guilty of violation of sanitary code entailing mass poisoning of people under Part 1 of Article 236 of the RF Penal Code.

The court and investigators have revealed that in June 2016, aware that there were violations of sanitary code in the kitchens, the accused did nothing to stop it. Namely, the beetroot salad cooking technique was violated: beetroots were grated manually on a grater, while there should have been a special slicer for boiled vegetables. In addition, there was no information or shipping documents on a number of foodstuffs (including eggs and chicken). Those foodstuffs also did not have labels from retail and transit packs. As a result, on 17 June 2016, 88 inmates and 29 workers of the facility felt unwell after dinner consisting of a beetroot salad and a boiled chicken soufflé. They were taken to hospitals in Novocheboksarsk and Cheboksary in the period between 18 and 25 June 2016. They were diagnosed with either salmonellosis enteritis or salmonellosis, or medium or grievous gastroenteritis, or functional intestinal upset, or intestinal disbacteriosis.

According to the results of forensic medical inquiries, 60 inmates and 25 workers of the facility sustained mild bodily harm.

To find out all the circumstances surrounding the incident, the investigators together with specialists of Rospotrebnadzor (a federal consumer rights protection authority) examined the facility, took necessary samples and ordered respective tests. The day care center was shut down.

The involvement of the accused in the crime is confirmed by statements of injured parties (117 of them) and witnesses, the epidemiological enquiry protocol, results of forensic medical examinations conducted on each of the injured parties and a commission sanitary and epidemiological examination. Materials of the preliminary investigation alone amounted to 11 files.

The investigator filed a request with the administration of Novocheboksarsk on taking steps to eliminate contributing factors to the crime. The accused, two cooks and a kitchen worker were dismissed.

The court has banned the accused from taking any leading positions in educational and municipal institutions.