Russians accused of more thefts

2nd July 2010

© wikipedia Skrzypek's widow claims some of his belongings have gone missing Share:

The widow of a victim of the Smolensk disaster has alleged that thieves robbed the body of her husband.

Dorota Skrzypek, who was married to Slawomir Skrzypek, the head of the Polish national bank, has claimed that her husband’s Tourneau Swiss watch and gold cufflinks, which he was wearing when the plane crashed in western Russia killing all on board, disappeared after the accident.

The Skrzypek family noted the items were missing when the Moscow Forensic Bureau presented them with a list of the banker’s personal belongings. After two months had passed and the watch and cufflinks remained missing, they contacted the prosecutor’s office.

“We are aware of Mrs Skrzypek’s claims and we have passed them on to the military prosecutor’s office which is handling the investigation,” said Mateusz Martyniuk from the General Prosecutor’s Office.

“We will also be asking Russian investigators for an explanation,” he added.

The Skrzypek family want the Russian authorities to check to see if the items have been overlooked, misplaced or stolen.

Fears that the banker’s possessions may have been whisked away by heartless thieves have been heightened by the arrest by Russia’s military authorities of four servicemen for stealing and using the credit cards of another victim. The four, allegedly, ran up bills of PLN 6,000 on cards belonging to Andrzej Przewoznik as they went on a drink and gambling spree.

But allegations that Alexandra Natallia-Swiat, another victim of the disaster, was robbed of her credit card proved unfounded when the card was found in a collection of personal belongings retrieved from the crash site.

The theft allegations could strain relations between Poland and Russia over Moscow’s handling of the crash and the subsequent investigation. Although inter-government relations have remained cordial there has been growing rumblings of discontent in Poland.

Along with the incidents and allegations of theft, there has been mounting frustration over the slow pace of the investigation, and repeated allegations from some quarters that Moscow has mounted a cover up in order to hide the possibility that Russia may have had a hand in the plane crash.