ST.PETERSBURG. June 17 (Interfax-AVN) - Military prosecution officials of the Northwestern regional border guard directorate completed the investigation of 16 criminal cases and sent 15 of them to court in May this year, the Pogranichnik weekly reported on Thursday.
The paper quotes Colonel Antonov, first deputy military prosecutor of the directorate, as saying that eight servicemen are awaiting punishment for hazing, three for desertion, and two for causing medium bodily harm intentionally.
Military courts considered 18 criminal cases in May, which is a two-fold increase from April's results, the paper says. Twenty-four cases are under consideration, it adds.
The paper also quotes the report of the chief military prosecutor of the defense minister on the crime rate in the army in 2004. According to it, crime prevention in the Armed Forces still leaves much to be desired.