MH17: Prosecutors to shed more light on missile-downed plane

An international team of prosecutors will today present its findings on MH17, the Malaysian Airlines flight downed by a missile over Ukraine in 2014.

The flight was hit during a flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur on 17 July, killing 298 people on board, most of them Dutch citizens.

The Boeing 777 fell apart in mid-air over rebel-held Ukraine, spreading wreckage over several miles in the country, where Ukrainian government forces were engaged in fierce fighting with pro-Russian separatists.

Last year, an investigation by the Dutch Safety Board found the plane was hit by a Buk surface to air missile, a type only made by state-controlled Russian firm Almaz-Antey.

The weapons company said the model was an old one and was no longer used by Russia.

   

The board did not touch on which side was likely to be  responsible for launching the missile but many, including Ukrainian officials and the West, blame Russian fighters and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

In May last year, families of 33 of the victims from Australia, Malaysia and New Zealand, launched legal action against the Russian Federation and Mr Putin.

The incident also played a major part in the imposition of European Union and US sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.

The current investigation, undertaken by prosecutors from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine, will hold a news conference to deliver their conclusion as to "the weapon that was used to bring down" the plane and the "precise location from which this weapon was launched".

Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke, head of the team, earlier said that they had a "long list of persons of interest" in the case and had been examining debris and ballistics found at the scene of the crash.

The prosecutors may also indicate what charges could be laid against those deemed responsible - criminal negligence, for example - but any moves towards justice will face legal and political obstacles.

Russia used its veto power to block a 2015 attempt to launch a UN-backed tribunal to prosecute the case, with Russia's UN ambassador saying that those supporting the motion were only doing so because "political purposes were more important ... than practical objectives".

Prosecutors have tried to get Russian cooperation in investigations since October 2014 and visited the country in July this year, saying afterwards that Russian officials had "offered information in the past but have not answered all questions".

The father of one of the British victims, Barry Sweeney, whose son Liam was on his way to New Zealand to watch Newcastle United play in a pre-season friendly, told Sky News what he wanted the investigation to achieve. 

He said: "My main question is why? Accidents happen... but, there is no reason for why MH17 was brought down.

"(I want) Somebody admitting an error. I do believe it was an accident. I think MH17 probably was in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

"I would just like somebody to own up and say 'look, I know sorry is not the best answer in the world but... it would help to bring closure to what happened that day."


SO SAD.........