Russian Lawyer, 37, Dies in Prison After Pursuing Claimed Kremlin Fraud
A Russian lawyer who helped a London-based hedge fund pursue a claimed massive fraud in which Kremlin officials allegedly participated has died in prison, where he was awaiting trial for conspiracy in a related case.
Sergei Magnitsky died yesterday at the Matrosskaya Tishina detention center, reports the London Times. The former Firestone Duncan practitioner was 37 years old.
He died of a heart attack, according to the Russian Prosecutor-General’s office. The newspaper says Magnitsky’s lawyers were told today that his abdominal membrane had ruptured.
He was arrested in 2008 after accusing senior Interior Ministry officials of participating in a massive looting of companies owned by the Hermitage Capital hedge fund and HSBC.
Additional coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Civil Practice Puts Russian Lawyers at Risk of Violence and Criminal Charges”
Reuters: “Witness in Russia’s Browder dispute dies in custody”
Updated at 3:16 p.m. to link to Reuters article.
