MOSCOW, June 11 (RAPSI) – The Norilsk City Court on Thursday placed CEO of a local thermal plant Pavel Smirnov in detention until July 31 as part of a case over the fuel spillage disaster, the press service of the Krasnoyarsk Regional Court reports.

Smirnov, a superintendent of the enterprise and his deputy are suspected of violation of environment protection rules during the exploitation of industrial facilities resulted in grave consequences.

In the course of the investigation it was established that the structural components of the collapsed tank had needed capital repairs since 2018. Nevertheless, in November 2018 the tank was put into operation by a commission headed by superintendent of the thermal plant Alexey Stepanov notwithstanding the lack of a required industrial safety certificate; its decision was approved by the enterprise CEO Pavel Smirnov.

According to case papers, on May 29, over 20 tons of petrochemicals spread over the thermal power station and flew into the subsoil and waters near the Nadezhinsky iron and steel plant that resulted in the environment pollution and harm.

Three cases opened after the thermal power plant disaster were consolidated into a single case and forwarded to the Investigative Committee’s Main Investigations Directorate for the investigation. Investigators are checking the incident for the ground spoiling, environmental offence and water pollution.

On June 4, the Krasnoyarsk Krai Court placed a chief of the boiler-and-turbine floor of the heat and power plant in detention until July 31.

On June 11, negligence charges were brought against mayor of Norilsk in the Krasnoyarsk Krai Rinat Akhmetchin over the fuel spillage disaster in the region.