16 May 2024, 22:49
Defendants accused of patients’ deaths in Vladikavkaz hospital refuse to admit their guilt
Vladimir Pliev and Oleg Morozov, the former head physician of the Republican Clinical Emergency Hospital in Vladikavkaz and the institution’s equipment engineer, respectively, refused to plead guilty to the deaths of nine patients with coronavirus caused by an accident in the institution’s oxygen supply system.
The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in October 2022, the prosecutor’s office approved the indictment in the case instituted against Vladimir Pliev. In April 2023, the court requested an additional investigation, as new facts and new defendants in the case had been revealed. The charges Vladimir Pliev were reclassified to a graver offense, and hospital equipment engineer Oleg Morozov became another defendant in the case.
On August 9, 2021, an oxygen pipe accident occurred in the hospital, and nine patients with coronavirus died in a resuscitation ward. Investigators detained the head physician of the hospital, and the court sent him under house arrest. After the case is reclassified under the article “Provision of services that do not meet safety requirements, resulting in the deaths of two or more persons,” Vladimir Pliev and Oleg Morozov face up to ten years of imprisonment.
At the first hearing held by the Promyshlenny District Court of Vladikavkaz on May 15, both defendants pleaded not guilty.
The victim parties express their indignation by the position of the accused. They intend to seek a fair conviction for Vladimir Pliev and Oleg Morozov.
“We want to ensure that all those responsible for the deaths of our relatives are punished. Vladimir Pliev does not admit his guilt, but that will be his problem, because his guilt has been proven by the investigation,” said victim Elena Luchkina in a video report released by the “Sapa Caucasus” project.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 16, 2024 at 05:08 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: Caucasian Knot
