DUSHANBE, July 10, 2009, Asia-Plus — The Supreme Court of Tajikistan gave a quarterly press conference on July 10.
Chairman of the Supreme Court Nusratullo Adulloyev refused to give legal treatment of the Supreme Court’s verdict against 31 associates of fugitive businessmen Nizomkhon Jourayev justifying that by saying that “it is in competence of the board of the Supreme Court; moreover, the case has not yet gone through an appeals process.”
As far as delay in issuing the verdict copy to convicts’ defense lawyers is concerned, the Supreme Court chairman said that it had happened because of reasons not depending on them.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court Justice Nour Nourov, who took in the trial of associates of Nozomkhon Jourayev, stated that the trial had been independent and unbiased and nobody had made pressure on him.
We will recall that Tajik chief prosecutor has denounced the verdict. Speaking to reporters, Prosecutor-General Bobojon Bobokhonov stated on July 7 that the Prosecutor-General’s Office has appealed against the verdict of the Supreme Court against 31 associates of Jourayev. According to him, if the court does not reconsider the case, the prosecutor-general’s office has the right to institute criminal proceedings against the judge who took in the trial. “I have encountered such a lawlessness in my practice for the first time,” said Bobokhonov, “For example, the charge of organization of criminal grouping brought against them was dropped during the preliminary investigation already; however, this charge figures in the indictment that means that the court ignored the investigation data.”
As it had been reported earlier, the Supreme Court sentenced 31 associates of Nizomkhon Jourayev to long jail terms on June 10. The defendants were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 25 years. The sentence followed their conviction on charges of a number of serious crimes, including organization of criminal grouping, tax evasion, a number of financial crimes, and killing of the Deputy Prosecutor-General of Tajikistan Tolib Boboyev in 1999.
Nizomkhon Jourayev was a successful businessman who owned a chemical plant and a distillery in Sughd’s Isfara district. In 2007 investigations were launched into his financial activities; he faces a number of charges ranging from tax evasion to embezzlement of state funds. Later in 2008 Nizomkhon Jourayev was officially accused of ordering Boboyev”s assassination. He left the country before his arrest warrant was issued.
