In KBR, Lera Alkhasova, who represents Chernobyl liquidators at courts, repeatedly becomes suspect in fraud case

Lera Alkhasova, a former employee of Ministry of Social Protection of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) has been repeatedly suspected of committing a fraud with the compensations received by liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident who live in the republic, whose interests she had defended at litigations. The figurants in the case are also her assistant Zalina Alkhasova and Ali Kuchmezov, the leader of the republic’s "Chernobyl Union".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in 2011-2012, the claims were satisfied of 51 Chernobyl accident liquidators moved against the Russian Ministry of Finance on compensation of their moral harm; and over 670 million roubles were collected in favour of 484 claimants.

In May 2013, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the KBR cancelled the previous decision; and they stopped paying compensations to “Chernobyl" liquidators. Their interests at litigations were represented by Lera Alkhasova. She was accused of a fraud, since, according to investigators, Alkhasova took away half of the money from liquidators. However, after the liquidators refuted their earlier statements, claiming that they paid money to Alkhasova voluntarily, her prosecution was stopped, while 10 Chernobyl liquidators were suspected of perjury.

On October 16, Alkhasova was detained, taken to Essentuki, where on October 18 the City Court placed her behind bars.

The lawyer Magomed Abubakarov believes that a new criminal case arose from the fact that the cases of Chernobyl accident liquidators sent to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), including those submitted there by Alkhasova herself, were accepted for consideration and awarded the status of important cases.