Commission chief says no need to reopen Smolensk investigation

This comes two days after a new report overseen by the attorney general indicating no evidence that pressure had been put on the pilots by military and political superiors to land in the heavy fog on April 10, 2010.

The new report said that a voice heard on the black box recording – earlier believed to be that of General Blasik, who died with 95 other members of the Polish military and political elite in western Russia – could not be unambiguously identified.

The Law and Justice (PiS) opposition has said this and an earlier Russian investigation were both skewed towards placing the blame on the Polish side, either pilot error and/or pressure from military superiors on the flight to land during heavy fog.

Investigations conducted on the Russian side and some months later by Miller both suggested that pressure from Blasik – and perhaps indirectly from then president Lech Kaczynski - might have been a contributory factor in the crash.

“[my] report answers the question as to what were the causes of the plane crash,” Miller said. “I don’t see any circumstances at this stage to change the statement made in the report.”

“I am not saying he [Blaski] was in the cockpit, only that his remains were found in the cockpit after the catastrophe.”

Miller said the commission which he led had examined all aspects the crash. He also questioned the quality of the sound recording from the black box found after the crash.

“General Blasik’s presence in the cockpit is suggested among other things by the whole context of the events on that day and all the circumstances known to the commission.”

Miller said he believes there will probably never be a full explanation of the events that led to the crash.(jh)