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Alexander Bastrykin holds a video-conference reception of citizens

The Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Ivanovich Bastrykin held a video-conference reception of citizens. It was attended by the First Deputy and Deputy Chairman of the Investigative Committee Eduard Valeryevich Kaburneev and Sergey Nikolaevich Goryaynov, heads of separate Central Office divisions, as well as heads and employees of regional investigative departments processing criminal inquiries and probe materials that drew the attention of the Chairman.

Thus, an applicant complained about red tape in the criminal investigation of her daughter's disappearance in 2015 in the city of Tomsk. The girl left for work and disappeared. A criminal case under Part 1 Article 105 of the Criminal Code (murder) was initiated, but the fate of the missing woman is still unknown. The head of the Investigative Committee of Russia heard a report by the head of the Tomsk Regional Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia A. Shchukin on the progress of the investigation. Alexander Ivanovich Bastrykin criticized his subordinates for the lack of results. He gave a number of specific instructions on this criminal case.  The head of the agency put the progress of the investigation under supervision of the Central Office and demanded to report in a month on the implementation of the instructions for further decisions.

The citizens who applied from the Nizhny Novgorod region are residents of a house that was partially destroyed in July 2020 as a result of a domestic gas leak. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. The criminal case is being investigated under Part 1 Article 238 of the Criminal Code (provision of services that do not meet safety requirements), however, the inspection of the scene was conducted only a year after the incident and, according to the applicants, to date no one has been held criminally responsible. In addition, residents of the damaged house complained about a number of other problems: according to them, they were not provided with assistance in moving, storage space for belongings, and were not fully paid material compensation. Also, the applicants argue that even after the recognition of the house as an emergency, officials of the city administration did not carry out countervailing measures. A.A. Kirillov, the Head of the First Division of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia, reported on the progress of the investigation. The Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia made a number of comments, including that he ordered a legal assessment of the actions of employees of the company responsible for the gas service of the house. Alexander Bastrykin also instructed to prepare a letter to the governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region, which would set forth all the aspects voiced by the applicants. He especially instructed to pay attention to the situation of veterans of the Great Patriotic War, the elderly and persons with disabilities from among the victims.

Following the results of the reception, Alexander Ivanovich Bastrykin ordered the prompt preparation of reports on the measures taken to address all the situations voiced. A number of instructions were given to the Main Forensics Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia (Forensic Center), the Forensic Expert Center of the Investigative Committee of Russia and employees of the territorial division of the agency. Also, the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia expressed his readiness to meet again with the applicants in order to announce to them the preliminary results of the investigations.