Forensic expert suspected of fabricating data on Djabiev’s death

Forensic expert Zarina Dzagoeva exceeded her power by introducing inaccurate data into the conclusion drawn up after the death of Inal Djabiev, the General Prosecutor’s Office of South Ossetia suggests.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that South-Ossetian expert Zarina Dzagoeva concluded that the Inal Djabiev’s death occurred as a result of acute heart failure because of an injury he had got. Based on the results of a repeated forensic examination conducted in Russia, the General Prosecutor’s Office of South Ossetia reported the cause of Inal Djabiev’s death as heart failure resulted from the withdrawal of a drug. Oksana Sotieva, a widow of Inal Djabiev, refused to believe the results of the repeated forensic examination. To resolve the contradiction, the General Prosecutor’s Office ordered the third examination, the conclusion of which turned out to be similar to the second one. The defence of the defendants demanded to institute a criminal case against the forensic expert.

Forensic expert Zarina Dzagoeva has become a suspect in a criminal case on abuse of power (Part 1 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), the General Prosecutor’s Office of South Ossetia reports today.

“Investigators have found that, based on knowingly false information, forensic expert Dzagoeva illegally drew a conclusion dated August 30, 2020,” reads the report posted on the official website of the General Prosecutor’s Office of South Ossetia.

The criminal case was instituted on June 5, and it is being investigated by the Investigating Department of the General Prosecutor’s Office, the official website reports.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 7, 2021 at 01:00 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.