KHUJAND, October 7, 2009, Asia-Plus — Former officer from the Khujand police department, Rustam Latipov, has been sentenced to life in prison for brutal murder.
The Sughd regional court sentenced the 26-year-old Rustam Latipov to life imprisonment on October 5. The sentence followed his conviction on the charges of brutal killing, defilement of the body, fraud and theft.
Justice Mavlouda Qalandarova, who took in the trial, said Rustam’s father Abdukarim Latipov and his cousin Ikrom Fozilov had also stood the trial.
The court ruled that Fozilov be given a jail term of five years for an attempt of giving bribe to an official. He will serve the term in a minimum-security penal colony.
As far as Abdukarim Latipov is concerned, the court imposed a 7,500 somoni fine on him for negligent weapon keeping.
As it had been reported earlier, a beheaded body was found on the bank of the Qairoqqum reservoir in late April this year. The body was identified as the 25-year-old Suhrob Saydaliyev, who worked as expert with forensic laboratory of the Khujand police department.
“Investigation has established that Rustam Latipov killed Saydaliyev on April 28, shooting him from a gun belonging to his farther Abdukarim Latipov. After that he beheaded the body and cut fingers on Saydaliyev’s right hand,” the judge said.
According to her, Rustam Latipov killed Saydaliyev in order to not return 17,400 U.S. dollars taken from Ikrom Fozilov for releasing his brother and neighbor from prison. “Rustam Latipov promised Ikrom Fozilov to release his brother Ghufron Fozilov and his neighbor Osim Sattorov from prison through his friend Suhrob Saydaliyev,” said Qalandarova, “However, he spent the money taken from Fozilov and when his relatives began demanding their money back he decided to kill Saydaliyev and shift everything onto him.”
