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The Chairman of the Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched another criminal investigation against former federal judge of Nalchik City Court of Kabardino-Balkaria Yelizaveta Botasheva (Bechelova). She is accused of a crime under part 3 of article 159 of the RF Penal Code (fraud). The investigation has been commissioned to the North Caucasian Federal District Investigations Directorate.

According to investigators, in October 2010, the judge of Nalchik City Court of Kabardino-Balkaria Bechelova conspired with lower Lera Alkhasova, who involved 4 more accomplices to steal budget money on a very large scale. According to their agreement, in the period between January 2011 and April2012, Bechelova passed 47 illegal judicial decisions on the actions of 458 responders to the Chernobyl accident and the accident at NPO Mayak, whose interests were presented by Alkhasova. She ruled to exact from the Ministry of Finance at the expense of the treasury 643.8 million rubles of damages for moral  damages the plaintiffs suffered because of injures they had sustained during the response to the said accidents. For representing the plaintiffs’ interests Alkhasova demanded a fee of a half of the damages. This way, the accused had in their hands over 73 million rubles. When distributing the money among the accomplices, no later than in July 2011 Bechelova received from Alkhasova both in person and via the accomplices at least 2 million rubles.

Bechelova’s rulings were illegitimate because the law in force at the moment of the Chernobyl accident did not provide for paying damages to the victims. The law does not have retroactive force therefore the plaintiffs could not and can’t have a claim for damages. While passing the decisions Bechelova was aware of that.

In April 2013, Bechelova changed her surname to Botasheva after divorce.

This case has been joined with another criminal case against a group of people who stole millions of rubles. Depending on the role of each one Yelizaveta Botasheva (Bechelova), Alkhasova and their 4 accomplices are charged with crimes under part 2, part 3 and part 4 of article 159, part 2 of article 305 of the RF Penal Code (fraud, passing a knowingly illegitimate decision by a judge entailing other serious consequences).

The investigation is ongoing.

Head of Media Relations                                                                                                                         V.I. Markin