VLADIVOSTOK. Oct 17 (Interfax) - The military prosecutor's office of the Pacific Fleet on Monday protested the not-guilty verdict brought by the Pacific Fleet military court in the criminal case opened in relation to the death of 20 members of the trial crew of the Nerpa nuclear submarine.
"The Prosecutor's office of the Pacific Fleet on Monday filed a protest against the not-guilty verdict in the case of the Nerpa nuclear submarine," assistant to the military prosecutor of the Pacific Fleet Roman Kolbanov told Interfax.
He said that the protest was filed through the Pacific Fleet military court to the military collegium of the Russian Supreme Court. "The motion was registered at the court's office today," he added.
On October 14 the Pacific Fleet military court acquitted submarine commander Dmitry Lavrentyev and sailor Dmitry Grobov who were defendants in the case. It relied on the verdict of the jury that on September 30 declared the navy servicemen not guilty on all charges.
Twenty people, including 17 civilians on the acceptance team, most of them specialists of the Amur Shipyard, and three military officers, were killed when the fire-extinguishing system was activated accidentally during the Nerpa submarine's at-sea trials in the Sea of Japan on November 8 2008. Forty others were taken to a hospital with injuries. The submarine's trials were halted and a probe was launched into the incident.
Lavrentyev stood accused of exceeding authority which led to the accidental death of several people and Grobov of causing the accidental death of several people and severe bodily injuries on two members of the acceptance team due to the negligent performance of his duties.