MOSCOW, June 4 (RAPSI, Nikita Shiryayev) – The Supreme Court of Russia on Tuesday refused to rule a feature of the Interior Ministry’s order banning police officers from free leaving abroad invalid, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

The court dismissed a lawsuit filed by ex-Moscow police officer Maxim Luzhnykh.

According to case papers, the plaintiff was fired in 2016. His period abroad during the annual vacation was a ground for his dismissal. Later, he unsuccessfully attempted to challenge his removal in courts.

Luzhnykh believes that the disputed order provision contradicts Russia’s Constitution, Law on service in law enforcement agencies, Russian Border Crossing Act, and violates his rights and legal interests.

The Constitution guarantees people the right to free exit from Russia; this right may be restricted only by federal legislation but not by a subordinate act, the plaintiff’s lawyer Vladimir Vorontsov said during the court hearing. Moreover, the challenged feature does not indicate that it applies to officers having top-secret clearance unlike other order provisions, that allows interpreting the norm in different ways, he added.

An Interior Ministry representative objected the lawsuit claiming that Luzhnykh was dismissed because of repeated labor misconduct consisting in deception of the employer concerning his vacation spot. She also said that the disputed provision does not envisage ban or restriction on departure of officers having top-secret clearance abroad. This order is a mechanism of implementing their duty to coordinate vacation spot with a chief, she added.