20:00, 12 March 2009

Chechnya: a case initiated against FMS employee who issued passport to suspect of Politkovskaya's murder

In Chechnya, the woman-employee of the Federal Migration Service (FMS), accused of illegal issuance of a foreign passport to the expected murderer of the journalist of the "Novaya Gazeta" Anna Politkovskaya, will face justice. This was reported today at the ICPO (Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office) of Russia.

It has been established that Milana Mezhieva received 300 dollars as a bribe from a mediator for drawing up and issuance of a passport for travel abroad to a resident of the Republic in his absence and without making required check of his personality, as the ITAR-TASS reports.

"Thus, Makhmudov, announced into international search on accusation of murdering Politkovskaya, managed to use this passport and safely left Russia on December 28," the "Interfax" quotes a Chechen law enforcer as saying.