"There are strong indications that a decision was made at the presidential level, by President Putin, to supply the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic - TASS) with the Buk TELAR or, in any event, a heavier air defense system," she said at a press conference in The Hague.
However, the Russian president "enjoys, at the very least, immunity under international law in view of his position as head of state," van Boetzelaer noted. "Under Dutch law, heads of state cannot be prosecuted for any offense whatsoever," she added.
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed in the Donetsk Region of Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing 298 people from ten countries. A joint investigative team (JIT) comprising representatives of Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine, was established in order to carry out a criminal investigation into the crash.
The Joint Investigative Team said on Wednesday that it had been unable to identify the crew members of the Buk missile system believed to have been used to bring down the plane. Van Boetzelaer stated that the team had exhausted all scope for investigation so the investigation would be suspended.
Russian officials repeatedly expressed their lack of confidence in the results of the JIT’s work, pointing to the groundlessness of the accusations and the team’s unwillingness to use Moscow’s conclusions during the investigation.
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has decided to suspend its investigation into the 2014 Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in Ukraine for lack of evidence, Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer announced on Wednesday.
ReplyDelete"The investigation has now reached its limit. All leads have been exhausted," she said at a press conference in The Hague.
According to her, "the evidence is at the moment not concrete enough to lead to new prosecutions."