DUSHANBE, January 11, Asia-Plus – Consideration of an appeal lodged by Mahmadruzi Iskandarov, leader of Tajikistan’s Democratic Party (DPT) and former chief of Tajik state gas concern “Tojikgaz” against the court’s sentence passed on him has been adjourned.
The Board of Tajikistan’s Supreme Court had to consider the appeal on January 11 but Mahmadruzi Iskandarov was not taken to the court.
Mahmadruzi Iskandarov’s defense lawyer, Azam Badriddinov, has told Asia-Plus that his client was not taken to the court because one of judges – member of the court’s board – took part in consideration of another criminal case. The next three days, Badriddinov himself will be in a seminar and therefore he asked not to appoint the consideration of Iskandarov’s appeal within the next few days. According to him, the exact date of the consideration of the appeal will be known next week.
We will recall that on
October 5, 2005
, the Supreme Court sentenced Mahmadruzi Iskandarov to 23 years in prison. The sentence followed his conviction of charges of terrorism, illegal possession of weapons and embezzlement of state fund. The court also stripped him of all previous state honors and wards, including revoking his rank of Major-General.
