Officials go on trial for hunting endangered animals
A court case opened on Thursday in the southern Siberian Altai Republic in which several high-ranking officials are accused of hunting endangered animals leading to a deadly helicopter crash two years ago.
A Mi-17 Hip helicopter carrying government officials crashed near the Altai`s Chernaya mountain in January 2009, killing seven people, including the Russian president`s envoy to the State Duma, Alexander Kosopkin, and an environmental official.
It was subsequently alleged that the officials had been hunting endangered mountain sheep.
Four people survived the crash, including the republic`s deputy prime minister, Anatoly Bannykh, deputy chief of a Moscow university, Nikolai Kapranov, and a State Duma official and businessman, Boris Belinsky.
The three officials were charged with illegal hunting and face up to two years in prison if found guilty.
A court spokesman said the trial will be closed to public.
The investigation into the case was previously closed two times, but was resumed on orders from Alexander Bystrykin, the chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor`s Office.
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