MOSCOW, March 25 (RAPSI) – Russian authorities are seeking extradition of Vyacheslav Vishnevsky, ex-CEO of the Kemerovo confectionary complex and owner of Zimnyaya Vishnya (Winter Cherry) shopping mall that became a site of deadly fire last year, from Poland, the Investigative Committee reports Monday.

The very same day the year before, on March 25, 2018, the blaze occurred in Zimnyaya Vishnya. According to investigators, 60 people including 37 children died in the fire.

Vishnevsky left Russia in 2016. He was arrested in absentia and put on the international wanted list. He was charged with giving a bribe and arrested in absentia in relation to the investigation into the mall fire case.

According to investigators, in 2013-2014, Vishnevsky through an intermediary gave a 7-million-ruble bribe ($106,000) to the regional construction inspection’s chief Tanzilia Komkova, her son Eduard and CEO of ISK Resource company Nikita Cherednichenko. The bribe was allegedly designated for help in favor of Vishnevsky.  Komkova, her son and Cherednichenko have been put in detention.

In total, there are 15 defendants in the case over the deadly fire. Depending on their alleged role, they are charged with negligent homicide, fire safety breach resulted in multiple deaths, provision of substandard services and negligence.