Sochi: Elena Spasskaya placed into SIZO after surgery

Elena Spasskaya, Director of the Sochi Municipal Enterprise "Direction for Operating Trade Gallery", accused of a large-scale fraud, has undergone a surgery at Oncology Hospital No. 4 and was returned to the SIZO (pre-trial prison).

On February 17, the Court of the Tsentralny District of Sochi satisfied the petition of the investigation and extended Ms Spasskaya's arrest by one month. In the course of the session, the lawyer Gennady Karlyshev presented documents evidencing the defendant's progressive disease and asked to replace custody for home arrest.

Elena Spasskaya told the court about her deteriorating state of health after a complicated cancer surgery and about the need of a special regime for her.

In March, she was transported with an aggravation from the SIZO to the oncology ward of City Hospital No. 4, where she underwent surgery. "On April 1, with still non-removed sutures she was returned back to the Sochi SIZO in Sovietskaya Street," said the lawyer.

Ms Spasskaya keeps asserting that she is innocent and that the case against her was fabricated. The lawyer Karlyshev believes that the trial, where "the court chairman is personally interested in the trial outcome, and this is proved by documents, can not be humane and fair."

In his turn, Anatoly Lavrik, Chairman of the Tsentralny District Court of Sochi, said that "all the judges are independent and obey only to the law" and refused from further comments.

Elena Spasskaya was arrested on fraud charges on December 22, 2011.