MH17: Defence says missile theory unproven as trial wraps up
The reconstructed wreckage of the MH17 airplane is seen after the presentation of the final report into the crash of July 2014 of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, in Gilze Rijen, the Netherlands, October 13, 2015. - REUTERS/Filepic
THE HAGUE: Prosecutors of the trial in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 failed to prove a Russian-made missile brought down the jetliner, a Dutch lawyer for a Russian suspect said.
According to Channel News Asia (CNA), the lawyer told judges on June 9 that the prosecutors were too focused on proving Russian separatists in Ukraine used a Russian-supplied BUK missile.
Sabine ten Doesschate, who represents suspect Oleg Pulatov said, "To conclude, the prosecution failed to prove from tapped (mobile) conversations, images and witness statements that this was the missile that downed MH17".
She said it could not be proved that a smoke trail which the prosecutors said was seen shortly after the missile was fired, belonged to a BUK missile.
Ten Doesschate made her closing arguments as the case wrapped up on Thursday in a courthouse close to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam from which flight MH17 took off.
On Jul 17, 2014, the passenger jet was shot down while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 on board.
Pulatov is the only defendant represented by a lawyer at the trial, which started in March 2020 involving four men.
The other three suspects are Russians Sergei Dubinsky and Igor Girkin and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko.
Meanwhile, prosecutors requested life sentences for the three Russians and one Ukrainian who are on trial in absentia on charges of playing a role in downing the jet.
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