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The Investigative Committee of Russia continues investigation of a probe into Director General of SRI of Physical Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation Technologies LLC Evgeny Blum, who is charged in absentia with fraudulent embezzlement (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of Russia) of snowboarder Maria Chaadaeva under guise of rehabilitation services.
During the investigative period Evgeny Blum was abroad and failed to arrive when summoned by the investigator, therefore he was put on the international wanted list. After obtaining information on his location and his arrest in the Kingdom of Spain, the Investigative Committee of Russia handed over to the Office of the General Prosecutor of Russia documents required to file a request for his extradition.
According to preliminary information, the judicial authorities of this country refused to extradite the defendant to Russia, referring to the fact that the Spanish court had previously decided to terminate the case on the merits, since, in the opinion of the Spanish side, there are no "indications of intentional deception, which involves the crime of fraud".
However, the Investigative Committee of Russia proceeds from the necessity of a criminal-legal assessment of Blum's actions from the perspective of Russian law. After all, in this case we are talking about a violation of the rights of a citizen of the Russian Federation as a result of his illegal actions, which under Russian law are criminally punishable.
According to the Investigative Committee, Blum, being a doctor of medicine, took advantage of the athlete's post-traumatic condition due to a spinal injury and loss of walking ability suffered at a competition in February 2014. During the same year in Spain he persuaded the athlete to sign a rehabilitation contract with him for over 29 million rubles. However, the athlete's motor functions of her lower extremities did not recover after the Blum methodology sessions.
The criminality of Blum's actions is proven by the conclusion of a forensic medical examination and the testimony of specialists in the field of neurosurgery and spinal cord injury treatment. According to these data, it is impossible to restore spinal cord function win case of the injury sustained by the athlete by any rehabilitation measures. Taking into account his qualification and scientific degree, Blum could not be unaware of ineffectiveness of the rehabilitation he was conducting.
In this regard the Investigative Committee of Russia is intended to apply the Office of the Prosecutor General of Russia with a motion to request all necessary documents from Spain. After their thorough analysis, the Investigative Committee is ready to provide additional data, indicating the presence of intent in the actions of Blum to steal money of the athlete for further dialogue with the Spanish side to bring him to criminal responsibility.
Expressing hope for effective cooperation aimed at protecting the rights of victims of crimes, I would like to note that the Russian side already has a positive experience of cooperation with the competent authorities of Spain, which have taken decisions on the extradition of persons involved in criminal cases of the Investigative Committee, including crimes in the field of economy.
Official spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of Russia S. Petrenko