Prosecutor cancels decision to open case against investigator in Lerchek jewellery inquiry

A prosecutor has cancelled the decision to open an abuse-of-office case against investigator Nikita Tulupov, 5-tv.ru and other outlets reported, citing sources. Investigators had earlier sought to place him under house arrest.

Tulupov investigated the case involving jewellery seized from blogger Valeria Chekalina, known as Lerchek. 5-tv.ru reported that the investigator denied guilt the same day. Yamal-Media, citing TASS, also reported that the supervisory authority had cancelled the decision to open the case.

Investigators had previously asked the court to place Tulupov under house arrest, but Moscow’s Basmanny Court rejected the request. Reports of the cancelled decision came amid proceedings over the fate of the seized property.

According to 5-tv.ru, jewellery and cash worth a total of 46 million roubles were seized from Chekalina on February 7. Investigators found 22 sets of jewellery at her home, including pieces by Graff, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier.

Valeria Chekalina had earlier received a suspended sentence and a fine in a separate case. That background concerns previous court decisions and does not alter the latest report about the decision involving the investigator.