DUSHANBE, December 15, 2011, Asia-Plus – The board of the court of the Moscow oblast will review verdict passed by the Shchyolkovo court on Rustam Hukumov, the son of the Tajik Railways head Amonullo Hukumov.
The Supreme Court of Russia has instituted review proceedings over the verdict passed on Rustam Hukumov following an application by his defense lawyer and submitted the case for reconsideration to the board of the Moscow oblast’s court, Life News reported on December 14.
We will recall that the Shchyolkovo court (Moscow oblast) sentenced Rustam Hukumov to 9½ years in prison on September 15, 2010. The sentence followed his conviction on the charge of drug smuggling.
This case arose last autumn, when a Tajik court sentenced two pilots working for Rolkan Investment Ltd to 8 ½ years in prison each for flying illegally into Tajikistan and smuggling and smuggling aircraft parts.
Some Russian media outlets that time published allegations that by convicting the pilots the Tajik authorities tried to make pressure on Russia to release Rustam Hukumov. Russia demanded reconsideration of the pilots’ case and they were released on November 22. The Tajik court reduced the pilots” sentences to 21/2 years each. With the subtraction of two years under the amnesty, and six months for time served, the immediate release of the pilots was secured.
Russian Federal Investigation Agency reports that Rustam Hukumov is citizen of Russia. In June 2008, he and three his friends were detained with nine kilograms of heroin in the Moscow oblast. Investigation lasted for two years and he was sentenced to nine years. Narcotics had reportedly been transported to Russia by rail.
