Former mayor of the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk Rinat Akhmetchin, recently charged with negligence over a major fuel spill at Norilsk's thermal power plant, was sentenced on Monday by the Norilsk City Court to six months of community service and issued withholding order on 15 percent of his salary, official representative of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Court Oksana Veselova told Sputnik
KRASNOYARSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2020) Former mayor of the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk Rinat Akhmetchin, recently charged with negligence over a major fuel spill at Norilsk's thermal power plant, was sentenced on Monday by the Norilsk City Court to six months of community service and issued withholding order on 15 percent of his salary, official representative of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Court Oksana Veselova told Sputnik.
In mid-June, Russia's Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case on negligence against Akhmetchin, who resigned in late July. According to investigators, the former mayor failed to implement adequate measures to address the May 29 major fuel spill. The Norilsk City Court considered the case under special procedures.
"The court has read out its verdict: community service with 15 percent of the salary withheld," Veselova said.
On May 29, more than 21,000 tonnes of petroleum products were spilled in Norilsk. The accident took place in the territory of Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company, which is affiliated with Nornickel company, contaminating two rivers and surrounding soil. The Russian watchdog Rospotrebnadzor estimated the damage at 148 billion rubles ($1.9 billion).
