Polish law enforcement authorities have officially refused to investigate the disappearance of Anatol Kotau, citing a lack of jurisdiction. However, journalists have informally learned that the decision may be linked to suspicions of intelligence activity.
Rzeczpospolita published an article on Kotau’s disappearance today. It uses materials from the BIC investigation.
The Belarusian Investigative Center reports what its Polish colleagues were able to establish officially and unofficially.
“The person to whom the report relates is not a Polish citizen, the actions against him did not take place on the territory of the Republic of Poland, and there are no grounds to claim that Polish citizens could have been involved in the possible commission of a crime,” Piotr Skiba, a spokesman for the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office, told Rzeczpospolita.
He also added that relatives can appeal the refusal. However, according to the BIC, Kotau’s wife did not receive the prosecutor’s decision in the case.
Rzeczpospolita, citing its sources, also reports that Turkish authorities provided Polish investigators with materials as part of international legal assistance. The information shows that Kotau flew to Istanbul and used a Belarusian passport when crossing the border, rather than the so-called “Geneva” passport issued to people granted refugee status.
A representative of the Polish services told the newspaper that this indicated Kotau wanted to remain anonymous and not stand out from the general flow of tourists. At the same time, Kotau may have used a Belarusian passport to avoid bureaucratic difficulties. Belarusian passport holders can enter Turkey without a visa, while a visa is required when using a Geneva travel document.
A Rzeczpospolita source close to the investigation claims that the key theory behind Kotau’s disappearance is intelligence activity. He believes Kotau cooperated with the intelligence services in an effort to gain access to Pavel Latushka. The source acknowledges that Kotau was later removed from the operation to prevent information from being disclosed.
The BIC notes that these conclusions should be treated critically because the Polish side did not conduct a full investigation. In addition, the BIC has unpublished data that contradicts this version. Kotau’s disappearance was presumably not a voluntary decision on his part.
Pavel Latushka also commented on Kotau’s disappearance for Rzeczpospolita.
“All these years, he tried to establish contact with representatives of the elite in Minsk, trying to solve the Belarusian problem through them. <…> Several times, thanks to him, I spoke with former prime ministers of Belarus. I think he managed to get deeper into the matter, and he fell into a trap set by the security services,” he said.
The BIC previously said in its investigation that it was able to trace Kotau’s movements in Turkey. From Istanbul, he flew to Trabzon, where he boarded a yacht with three other passengers: Jordanian citizen of Azerbaijani origin Qahira Eynalova and two Russians. Kotau had been in a relationship with Eynalova before the trip.
The yacht headed toward the coast of Abkhazia, where a Russian coast guard military vessel approached it. The Russians accused Kotau of allegedly attacking them. FSB border guards boarded the yacht, took Kotau away and ordered the captain to remove him from the passenger list. No one has seen him since.
