The key facts
- Investigator Nikita Tulupov was given neither a pledge not to leave nor a ban on certain actions
- The case concerns the disappearance of a Rolex watch and a Bulgari bracelet previously valued at 14.4 million rubles
- Tulupov does not admit guilt and states that the exact value of the jewelry can no longer be established
No restrictions were deemed necessary
Investigator Nikita Tulupov, charged with negligence in the case of the disappearance of jewelry belonging to blogger Valeria Chekalina (Lerchek), will not have a preventive measure imposed — neither a pledge not to leave, nor a ban on certain actions. This was reported to TASS by law enforcement agencies: according to the agency's source, no grounds for additional restrictions were seen, so no relevant motions were filed (TASS).
The defendant's position
Tulupov himself does not admit guilt in the negligence charge and insists he had no involvement in the disappearance of the valuables. He also claims that no appraisal examination of the jewelry was conducted, making it now impossible to determine its exact value (TASS). The items in question are expensive watches and a bracelet seized during the investigation of Lerchek's criminal case: the missing items were previously valued at 14.4 million rubles, and according to published reports, they included a Rolex watch and a Bulgari bracelet.
Several twists in a month
The story of the investigation into the Interior Ministry employee has already gone through several twists. As Life.ru previously reported, on October 9 the Moscow prosecutor's office overturned the decision to open a case of abuse of official powers, after which the investigation withdrew the motion for Tulupov's house arrest. However, on October 26 a new case was opened over the disappearance of the valuables — this time the same investigator was charged under the article on negligence resulting in especially large damage.
Meanwhile — a review of Lerchek's own case
At the same time, Lerchek's main criminal case has been sent for review to the Moscow City Court. The blogger was previously sentenced to five years of suspended imprisonment in a case of illegal currency operations: the defense is seeking an acquittal, while the prosecution insists on a harsher punishment.
