THE HAGUE: An international team of investigators has suspended the criminal investigation into the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on Eastern Ukraine in 2014, stating that they did not have enough evidence to launch new prosecutions.
Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer he said Wednesday that “the investigation has now reached its limit. All leads were exhausted” as the team began laying out the evidence they uncovered in their lengthy investigation.
Dutch prosecutors said in their summary of the findings that “there are strong indications that the Russian president has decided to supply” a Buk missile system to Ukrainian separatists. A Buk system was used to shoot down MH17 on 17 July 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
However, “while a lot of new information has been uncovered about various people involved, the evidence at present is not concrete enough to lead to new prosecutions,” they added.
Russia has always denied any involvement in the downing of MH17.
The announcement comes nearly three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian insurgent for their roles in the downing of the Boeing 777 and killing all 298 people on board on July 17, 2014. A Russian was acquitted by the court.
None of the suspects showed up for trial and it was unclear whether the three who were convicted of multiple murders will ever serve their sentences.
The convictions and the court’s finding that the Buk surface-to-air missile that blew up the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight came from a Russian military base were seen as a clear indication of Moscow’s role in the tragedy. Russia has always denied involvement. THE Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court in November of bowing to pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and the media.
But the November convictions said Moscow had overall control in 2014 over the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, the breakaway area in eastern Ukraine where the missile was fired. The Buk missile system came from the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian army, based in the city of Kursk.
The Joint Investigation Team consists of experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine. Most of the victims were Dutch. He had continued to investigate the crew of the Russian Buk missile system who shot down the plane and those who ordered its deployment in Ukraine.
In addition to the criminal trial taking place in the Netherlands, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia in the European Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of MH17.
Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer he said Wednesday that “the investigation has now reached its limit. All leads were exhausted” as the team began laying out the evidence they uncovered in their lengthy investigation.
Dutch prosecutors said in their summary of the findings that “there are strong indications that the Russian president has decided to supply” a Buk missile system to Ukrainian separatists. A Buk system was used to shoot down MH17 on 17 July 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
However, “while a lot of new information has been uncovered about various people involved, the evidence at present is not concrete enough to lead to new prosecutions,” they added.
Russia has always denied any involvement in the downing of MH17.
The announcement comes nearly three months after a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian insurgent for their roles in the downing of the Boeing 777 and killing all 298 people on board on July 17, 2014. A Russian was acquitted by the court.
None of the suspects showed up for trial and it was unclear whether the three who were convicted of multiple murders will ever serve their sentences.
The convictions and the court’s finding that the Buk surface-to-air missile that blew up the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight came from a Russian military base were seen as a clear indication of Moscow’s role in the tragedy. Russia has always denied involvement. THE Russian Foreign Ministry accused the court in November of bowing to pressure from Dutch politicians, prosecutors and the media.
But the November convictions said Moscow had overall control in 2014 over the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, the breakaway area in eastern Ukraine where the missile was fired. The Buk missile system came from the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Russian army, based in the city of Kursk.
The Joint Investigation Team consists of experts from the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine. Most of the victims were Dutch. He had continued to investigate the crew of the Russian Buk missile system who shot down the plane and those who ordered its deployment in Ukraine.
In addition to the criminal trial taking place in the Netherlands, the Dutch and Ukrainian governments are suing Russia in the European Court of Human Rights over its alleged role in the downing of MH17.
