Prosecution Appeals Alexanyan Property Release For Third Time
The prosecution in the case against deceased Yukos lawyer Vasily Alexanyan, has once again appealed against a Simonovsky court’s decision to release his seized property, according to Alexanyan’s relatives’ lawyer Gevorg Dangyan. This is the third time the prosecution has, with no legal basis, prevented the return of Alexanyan’s property to his family. The property includes a home and cars belonging to Alexanyan.
Dangyan stated: “there was a decision to return Aleksanyan’s property (to his relatives), but as far as I know, the prosecutor’s office has appealed against it, and the Simonovsky court’s decision did not have enough time to take the effect. I have not received a legal notice, but they let me know by the telephone. My position is that there is no legal basis for the property seizure”.
Alexanyan died on October 3, 2011 after being denied essential medical treatment during his pre-trial detention. His case is often compared to that of Sergey Magnitsky, the Russian lawyer who died under similar circumstances in the Russian detention facility which provoked the adoption of the Magnitsky Act in the US in late 2012.
Since Alexanyan’s death, the Simonovsky court has ruled his property be released three times at the request of his defense team, in December 2011, May 2012 and December 2012. However, the prosecution appealed the release on each occasion.
