On Tuesday, May 22, Tajik Supreme court started a trial of ex-deputy and businessman Nizomkhon Juraev who faces charges under article 289 part 3 (smuggling), article 291 (customs duties evasion) and article 340 (forgery of documents) of the Criminal Code of Tajikistan. The trial is presided over by the judge Salomat Hakimova.
The trial is held at the court’s round building which meets all modern standards. The judge’s table is heaped with multiple volumes of the criminal case. According to the rules, all participants of the trial are in the hall – a total of 10 persons. Juraev wears business suit and looks really good.
Prosecutor read the bill of particulars, which includes several facts of wheat smuggling from Isfara to Kyrgyzstan for production of ethyl alcohol and its further sale. The fact refers to 2004-2005 when Juraev served as director of Isfara Chemical Factory. According to the materials of criminal case, top managers of the factory colluded with customs officers from “Batken” check-point at Kyrgyz border. They used false customs documents and established faked “Almaz” company in Kyrgyzstan and etc.
According to the investigation, in the course of two years Juraev’s group was involved in seven facts of wheat smuggling. Some consignments were really huge – from 700 to 800 tons.
Juraev pleaded partially guilty. Furthermore, the defendant has already compensated part of the material damage caused to the state.
The first day of the trial was mainly dedicated to interrogation of witnesses who arrived from Isfara. Back in 2004 many of them were drivers of trucks who agreed to deliver wheat from Isfara to “Batken” check-point. They agreed with Mahmadsaid (Mahmadsaid Baidulloev – in 2004 deputy director of the Isfara Chemical Factory). However, when 7-8 trucks arrived to the check-point they failed to find representative of the factory there and had to return back to Isfara.
At the same time, Juraev currently lives in Dushanbe under a written undertaking not to leave. This information was recently confirmed by the counter-corruption agency and Juraev himself. Recently, on May 13, Juraev’s lawyer Bahtiyer Nasrulloev also confirmed this information.
According to Nasrulloev, Juraev’s whereabouts kept secret for security purposes. “Today (May 13 – editor’s note) I met with Nizomkhon Juraev and he told me he feels well and he also looks well. Currently the counter-corruption agency is carrying out its investigation since my client mainly faces economic charges and from now on I’m planning to stay with my client,” the lawyer said, stressing that his client decided to return back to Tajikistan “even though he had a huge variety of other variants.”
