The Seversk Prosecutors office in Tomsk region launched a criminal case against one of the employees of the Siberian Chemical Combine. He is charged with theft of the radioactive materials. The combine’s press department confirmed the accident in March.

According to Regnum.ru, a 57-year old worker was engaged in dismantling of the facility, which was closed down 10 years ago. The commission investigating the accident found out that on January 9, 2004, the worker illegally took out a radioactive substance (contaminated paper or cloth) packed in protective cover through all the combine’s check-points. On January 14, he arrived at Moscow’s hospital no.6, Centre of Occupational Pathology, for medical examination. He deliberately contaminated his body and clothes before the examination in order to falsify the data about radionuclides content in his body and therefore receive rise to his future pension.

“We are dealing with hypothetical criminal offence” the General Director of the Siberian Chemical Combine Vladimir Shidlov said to Regnum.ru. The physical protection equipment is sensitive to the irradiation of plutonium and uranium, but the worker allegedly took away low-radioactive material the equipment could not detect.