MURMANSK, October 21 (RIA Novosti, Yekaterina Kozlova) - Prosecutors have launched an inquiry into the legality of the decisions made by the Elektron trawler's owner and captain, who fled from Norwegian authorities when they tried to detain the boat off the Spitsbergen archipelago last Saturday.
"The inquiry was launched Thursday evening, and it is too early to talk about findings," a Murmansk prosecutor said Friday.
He said the investigation could last anywhere from one day to one month and would be prolonged if necessary. He added that prosecutors were not part of the recently established special commissions but legally independent.
Major General Viktor Gubenko, the head of the border department of the Federal Security Service, said documents seized by Norwegian officials from the Elektron and handed over to Russian border guards Thursday proved that the trawler had not violated fishing regulations.
"Judging by the documents, there were no grounds for detaining the trawler," General Gubenko said.
Captain Valery Yarantsev was hospitalized with a heart attack Thursday night before an interview with journalists who arrived at the trawler on a patrol boat. He is currently in intensive care in Murmansk.
"The man has not slept for six days," a fishery offical said, adding that other Elektron crewmembers were in good health.
The Elektron trawler was detained by the Norwegian Coast Guard on October 15 for violating the fishery regime, unilaterally set up by Norway north of the Arctic Circle. But the trawler fled into Russia's waters with two Norwegian inspectors aboard and Norwegian ships in pursuit. At the height of the drama Monday night, Captain Yarantsev called for Russian ships to come to his aid and said the trawler could take action against the Norwegian boats, including deliberately colliding with them.
