ST.PETERSBURG. Dec 2 (Interfax-Northwest) - The lawyers defending the interests of the relatives of crewmembers of the sunken submarine Kursk intend to meet again with investigators of the Main Military Prosecutor's Office and officials of the state commission for investigating the causes of the tragedy.
"Before the end of December we shall draft an appeal against the prosecutors' decision to close the criminal investigation into the Kursk drama," chief of the Boris Kuznetsov and Partners law firm, Boris Kuznetsov, told Interfax on Monday.
He said he will agree the draft with investigators, with General Director of the Rubin design bureau Igor Spassky, and chairman of the state commission for investigating the tragedy Ilya Klebanov. The discussion will show whether the criminal case should be re-opened, said Kuznetsov.
The lawyers are currently reading excerpts from documents related to the organization of the Northern Fleet's naval exercises, during which the Kursk sank. Kuznetsov said the Northern Fleet command was too slow in providing individual documents, including copies of the log-book, as well as books kept by the hydro-acoustic team, which, he said, is complicating analysis of the rescue operation, and other analyses.
Kuznetsov also plans to check information provided by former Northern Fleet liaison officer Igor Arkhipchenko, who said that some of the documents concerning the Kursk were destroyed, and that shortly before the explosion, submarine commander Gennady Lyachin held telephone conversations. "This information was not found in the official documents. However, information provided by an officer who was dismissed shortly after must be checked and either confirmed or denied," said Kuznetsov.
In July, Russian Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov announced that the criminal case, initiated by the chief military prosecutor on August 23, 2000, on charges of "violating the rules of safe navigation and operating means of sea transport, which caused the death of more than two crewmembers out of negligence," was closed because no crime had been committed.
The nuclear submarine Kursk sank on August 12, 2000, as a result of a torpedo explosion. All of its 118 crewmembers were killed.