Czech Republic confirms Bastrykin’s residence permit

The Czech Republic has confirmed that the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, held a residence permit there. The document was valid between February 2007 and February 2009, and was granted because Bastrykin was CEO of the company Law Bohemia. Czech police pointed out that Bastrykin broke the law when he did not inform local authorities in time that he had sold his share in the company. By law the permit should have been annulled as soon as he sold his shares in Law Bohemia, thus Bastrykin held the permit illegally for six months, a police spokeswoman said. Bastrykin’s Czech residence permit was made public by lawyer and opposition figure Alexei Navalny on Thursday. Bastrykin has access to state secrets and would be of interest to foreign intelligence, Navalny pointed out.