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MOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) –
A Russian criminal case against mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin for mutiny remains open and is still under investigation, the Kommersant newspaper and Russia’s three main news agencies reported on Monday, citing unidentified sources.
President Vladimir Putin vowed on Saturday to crush what he called a treacherous mutiny after Prigozhin said his Wagner Group fighters had taken over the southern city of Rostov and were heading towards Moscow for what he called it a “march for justice” meant to weed out the corrupt. and incompetent Russian commanders.
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Mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko who defused the crisis on Saturday night, the Kremlin said a criminal case against Prigozhin would be dropped and he would move to Belarus.
Its fighters would return to base and also not face legal action, the Kremlin said.
However, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Monday that the criminal case remains open and the Federal Security Service (FSB) is continuing its investigation into the case. He quoted an unidentified source as saying there hadn’t been enough time to close the case.
Russia’s three main news agencies – TASS, RIA and Interfax – also reported that the criminal case against Prigozhin remains open and the investigation continues.
“The criminal case against Prigozhin has not stopped,” TASS said, citing a source close to the prosecutor’s office. “The investigation is ongoing.”
The prison sentence under Russian law for such a crime is 12 to 20 years.
Prigozhin, who has not been seen in public since leaving Rostov late on Saturday and has not commented on the deal, denied leading a mutiny.
Prigozhin, once a close ally of Putin whose Wagner Group led much of the fighting in Ukraine, launched his rebellion on Friday after alleging the Russian military killed some of his men in an airstrike.
The Department of Defense denied his request. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Gareth Jones)