Lawyers in MH17 ploy

THE HAGUE: Defence lawyers for a Russian suspect on trial over the downing of flight MH17 will be allowed to inspect the partially recovered wreck of the passenger jet, Dutch judges ruled yesterday.

The judges granted the request after lawyers for Oleg Pulatov, the only suspect out of four with legal representation, said they wanted to probe alternative theories for the 2014 downing of the Malaysia Airlines plane. Prosecutors and international investigators said the Boeing 777 was hit by a Russian-made BUK surfaceto-air missile, killing all 298 people on board.

“The defence has an interest in being able to test the scenario chosen by the Public Prosecution Service,” Judge Hendrik Steenhuis said.