There are “strong indications” that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approved the supply of the missile that brought down the MH17 plane over Ukraine in 2014, international investigators said on Wednesday.
However, after eight years of investigations, these investigators have announced the suspension of their investigations, since Putin enjoys immunity as head of state and there is not enough concrete evidence to prosecute other suspects.
The Malaysia Airlines plane was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was hit by a Russian-made missile on July 17, 2014, over the eastern part of Ukraine held by pro-Russian rebels, killing all 298 people on board. .
The investigators’ announcement comes less than three months after a Dutch court sentenced two Russians and a Ukrainian who were tried in absentia for their role in the crash.
waiting for more evidence
“There are strong indications that a decision has been made at the presidential level, by President Putin, to supply the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) with the Buk TELAR missile system,” Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer said in a statement. press conference at The Hague.
“Although we are talking about strong indications, the threshold of complete and conclusive evidence is not reached,” he added.
The suspension of the investigation is a “bitter disappointment” but “we will continue to hold the Russian Federation to account for its role in this tragedy,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Twitter.
Moscow has denied any role in the downing of the plane and called the Dutch court’s verdict in November “shocking” and politically motivated.
But according to the Joint International Investigation Team (JIT), which includes representatives from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine – the countries most affected by the accident – the chain of command upstream of the drama is clear.
Russian officials even postponed the decision to send weapons to Ukrainian separatists because Putin was at a Normandy landings commemoration in France in June 2014, the researchers said.
An intercepted phone call
During the press conference, they released an intercepted phone call from an adviser who said that the delay had occurred “because there is only one who decides (…), the one who is right now at a summit in France.”
Other officials, such as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, lacked the necessary decision-making power and “ultimately it was the president’s decision,” the researchers said.
However, the investigation is now at a standstill given the lack of cooperation from Moscow and the lack of witnesses ready to come forward. “All leads have now been exhausted, therefore the investigation is suspended,” Digna van Boetzelaer said.
“The President of the Russian Federation enjoys, at a minimum, immunity under international law given his position as head of state,” the prosecutor explained. Once he’s gone, “we can see what’s next,” he added.
“Disappointment”
Among the victims of the disaster, which sparked international outrage and sanctions against Russia, were 196 Dutch citizens, 43 Malaysians and 38 Australians.
The investigators have recognized the “disappointment” of the relatives after the decision to suspend the investigation.
“They wanted to know why MH17 was shot down,” “the answer is still in Russia,” said Andy Kraag, head of the Dutch police’s criminal investigation department.
The investigators themselves would also have “wanted to go further”, he added, but the team said they were satisfied they had brought at least three suspects to justice.
The investigation is not closed and can be reopened in case of new elements and the evidence collected could also be used by other courts, such as the International Criminal Court, the investigators stressed.
Source: BFM TV
