19/11/2009 Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Strasbourg, 19.11.2009 – Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (Germany ALDE), the former Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on "politically-motivated abuses of the criminal justice system in Council of Europe member states", today expressed her dismay at the death in a remand prison in Moscow of the lawyer Sergey Magnitsky, who had defended Hermitage Investment/HSBC against fraudulent manoeuvres allegedly involving high Russian officials, as described in the report adopted by the Assembly in October 2009.
"I was shocked to learn of the death of the lawyer Sergey Magnitsky, who had acted in proceedings on behalf of Hermitage. I very much hope that the circumstances of his death in prison will be fully and comprehensively clarified," said Mrs Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, who was recently appointed Federal Minister of Justice of Germany.