Jamison Firestone, director of Firestone Duncan audit firm, has appealed to the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee Aleksandr Bastrykin, asking to institute legal proceedings against former head of Moscow tax inspectorate N 28 Olga Stepanova.

On April 15, 2011 US congressman Jim McGovern proposed to put Aleksandr Bastrykin on so-called Magnitsky List (the list of high-rank Russian officials who are barred from entering the US). The congressman reintroduced the Magnitsky Act which imposes sanctions on those responsible for the death of Magnitsky. The bill stipulates economic sanctions for Russian law-enforcement officials and judges, which includes ban from entering the United States and arrest of the assets. Head of the Investigative Committee Aleksandr Bastrykin, chairman of Moscow City Court Olga Yegorova and head of the press-office of the Investigative Committee Irina Dudukina are proposed to be added to the list in the new redaction of the bill.     

In 2008 Sergey Magnitsky was arrested on tax evasion and fraud charges. The police believed that he had been behind the fraud scheme which enabled companies controlled by Hermitage Foundation to decrease the amount of income and dividend tax. In November 2009 he suffered acute heart failure and died. Soon after his death Heritage Foundation claimed that his death was connected with 5.4 billion roubles embezzlement which Magnitsky exposed. According to Hermitage, the officials from Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs were involved in the illegal return of VAT payments.     

Russia’s Investigative Committee has investigated Magnistky Death as a case initiated under Articles 124 and 293 of the CC of Russian Federation (denial of medical care and criminal negligence). No accusations have been brought against doctors. Two medical examinations (one led by academician Yevgeny Chazov) showed that there had been no fault of doctors.   

The scandal has recently hit the news. On April 15, Jamison Firestone, director of Firestone Duncan audit firm and Magnitsky’s employer, has filed a claim addressed to the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee Aleksandr Bastrykin, asking to institute legal proceedings against former head of Moscow tax inspectorate N 28 Olga Stepanova. The audit provider insisted on the tax official having been involved in 5.4 billion embezzlement.

After two days “Stop untouchables!” web-project posted a video. According to the authors of the clip, Olga Stepanova owns real-estate in Montenegro, Dubai and Moscow Region.   

In autumn 2010 the Federal Tax Service appealed to the department of economic security of Ministry of Internal Affairs after the audit of Moscow tax inspectorate N 28 showed that Olga Stepanova illegally returned VAT to 8 companies in the sum of 4.4 billion roubles. However regional department of the Investigative Committee instituted legal proceedings against “unidentified people” under Article 159.4 of the CC of Russian Federation (large-scale embezzlement), whereas Olga Stepanova escaped prosecution.