MOSCOW. Oct 19 (Interfax) - Based on the results of a prosecutorial inquiry into the recent failed spacecraft launches, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has raised the question of penalizing the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) enterprises for the damage caused and bringing those responsible to account, Anatoly Palamarchuk, head of the Main Directorate for compliance with the federal laws at the Prosecutor General's Office, told Interfax on Wednesday.
"To rectify the detected violations of the law, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office made two submissions with the head of Roscosmos, which raise the question of legal action to penalize the Agency's enterprises for the damage caused and to bring the persons responsible to account," Palamarchuk said.
"The material of the inquiry into compliance with the laws regarding state procurement have been sent to the Federal Anti-monopoly Service for considering launching administrative cases against Roscosmos officials, including the deputy director of the Agency," the prosecution official said.
In addition, Roscosmos "must create an effective system of quality control over the space equipment production and operation, and consider introducing compulsory insurance and tough regulations for existing state commissions," he said.
At the behest of Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, the inquiry was carried out in September 2011 into the failed launches of the Express-AM4 satellite and the Progress M-12M cargo space ship, which revealed failings in the way the spacecraft launches were organized, Palamarchuk recalled.