Criminal charges may be filed against officials of the regional marine and river inspection in Tatarstan over the Bulgaria passenger boat sinking, the Investigative Committee said.
The officials of the Volga department of Rostransnadzor, Russia's transport supervising authority, responsible for a pre-licensing inspection, gave a positive opinion on the compliance of ArgoRechTur, headed by Svetlana Inyakina, with the safety requirements for licensing the firm to operate inland passenger transport.
"Illegal actions of officials in Rostransnadzor had led to grave consequences, namely the loss of 122 people on board the Bulgaria boat,” the Committee statement said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had said at a meeting with heads of law enforcement agencies that all those responsible for the Bulgaria disaster must be exposed and brought to justice.
The double-decked river boat with 201 people on board capsized and sank on July 10 on the Volga river near the village of Syukeevo of Kama-Ust'insky region of Tatarstan resulting in the deaths of 122 passengers, the crew and the captain.