The Netherlands has declined an offer by Russia to try itself three Russians accused of being involved in the destruction of flight MH17, which was shot down in 2014 over eastern Ukraine, the minister said on Wednesday Dutch justice.
Ferd Grapperhaus said Moscow made the offer in a letter sent last October. The justice ministry " replied that transferring the legal proceedings against the three Russian suspects was not an option and had not been envisaged, " he added in a letter to the parliament.
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing, which departed from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, had been hit in mid-flight by a Soviet-designed BUK missile over the area of armed conflict with pro-Russian separatists in the is from Ukraine. The 298 people on board, including 196 Dutch nationals, had perished.
Three Russians and one Ukrainian will be brought to justice on March 9 in the Netherlands for their role in this tragedy. They will probably be tried in absentia, Russia and Ukraine not transferring their nationals pursued abroad abroad.
