The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Moscow considers the West's involvement in the case of the late Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky unacceptable, RIA-Novosti reports.
Magnitsky, an anti-corruption laywer, worked for the Hermitage Capital investment fund and died in Moscow's prison during pre-trial detention in November 2009. A year before that he was arrested on tax evasion charges.
Before his arrest Magnitsky claimed to have uncovered a massive fraud in which Moscow tax and police officials had allegedly embezzled $230 million of budget funds.
“The situation when ‘the Magnitsky case’ is used for political speculations and initiatives on some kind of sanctions in regard to Russia is unacceptable for us,” RIA-Novosti quotes the ministry's statement.
The U.S. State Department issued visa bans for several dozen Russian officials in connection to the Magnitsky case in July 2011. In response, Russia has also imposed travel bans on several U.S. officials.
Moscow expresses opposition to West's involvement in Magnitsky case
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