The European Commission is considering a ban on visa-free travel for Russian officials linked to the alleged murder of Sergei Magnitsky.
Under the terms of a visa facilitation deal currently being discussed by Brussels and Moscow, Russian officials, who carry so called “service” passports, will no longer have to apply for visas to enter the EU’s borderless Schengen zone.
The perk is due to cover dozens of people accused of involvement in a 2008 plot to embezzle millions of euros from the Russian treasury and to kill the man who found them out – Magnitsky, a 37-year-old accountant and father of two.
US authorities found the evidence against them compelling enough to ban them from visiting the states altogether.
In Brussels, MEPs have called for a similar EU travel ban.
But Russia says they are innocent, while the European External Action Service is happy to let Moscow treat the case as an internal matter.
For their part, a group of 48 euro deputies rebelled against the situation on Tuesday (4 June).
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