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Monday, June 11, 2007

Trial in Absentia: Precedent Established!

Helpfully, the Kremlin has decided to try Boris Berezovsky in absentia for theft:

Self-exiled businessman Boris Berezovsky will be tried in absentia in Moscow and could be jailed for up to 10 years if found guilty of theft from flagship carrier Aeroflot, prosecutors said Friday. Once part of the country's business and political elite, Berezovsky is now a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin and a political emigre sheltered by Britain. London has rejected Moscow's requests to extradite him. "Berezovsky is charged with large-scale theft of company funds worth a total of 214 million rubles [$8.3 million] ... and laundering part of the sum stolen from Aeroflot worth over 16 million rubles [$620,000]," the Prosecutor General's Office said in a statement. Berezovsky's lawyers said the case was a sham. "We have lodged a request to close the case because it contains no evidence of his guilt," lawyer Andrei Borovkov was quoted by RIA-Novosti as saying. The Prosecutor General's Office said the investigation into the theft had been completed and, after Berezovsky's lawyers had finished reading his criminal case, it would be sent to one of Moscow's district courts and heard there. "The articles of the Russian Federation's Criminal Code with which Berezovsky is charged call for a maximum jail term of 10 years," it added.

This means, of course, that the precedent has now been established so that Andrei Lugovoi can be tried in absentia by Britain, and Vladimir Putin by the International Court of Human Rights, and the Kremlin can't say a word about it.

Nice move, Russia! We couldn't have done better ourselves!

Of course, LR can't help but notice that it's rather odd for the Kremlin to claim that the Russian Constitution allows the trial of a Russian in absentia but doesn't allow the extradition of a Russian. Something is definitely wrong somewhere . . .

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're, as usual, so sensationalistic about not that particularly interesting issues.

For instance, in Italy a trial in absentia is called "in contumacia" and is perfectly allowed, as long as the tried person is notified.

Even the ICC in Hague was willing to try Milosevic ina absentia, so what's the big deal?

You don't mention, probably on purpose, that Mr Lugovoi is not citizen of the UK so he never ever could be tried in absentia in Britain, while Mr Berezovsky holds (also) citizenship of the RF, so a trial in absentia is perfectly legal. What is your point then? Where's the precedent?

By the way, why I never ever see an article criticising the way Oligarchs have subtantially contributed and are still contributing to the general disastrous sitiation in Russia? Are they paying you from ommitting this enormous bit of vital information?

La Russophobe said...

KAPTUR:

If it is so uninteresting, why do you not only read but comment?

Do you have some authority to support your suggestion that Britain can't try criminals in absentia unless they are citizens? It's amazingly hypocritical of you to question our facts without providing any of your own.

Don't you find it even a LITTLE hypocritical that YOU say nothing bad about PUTIN whilst critizing us for not attacking the oligarchs? Last time we checked, Putin ruled the country and was responsible for its fate, not the oligarchs.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, whatever dear Russofoba.

If you would have some basilar notions of law, you would not continue with your rubbish.

By the way, I forgot to mention yesterday, Russia can never establish a precedent, since the "precedent system" is used in the Anglo-Saxon right, i.e. UK and US. Also the international right is NOT based on precedents.

Why did I read? Well, I could not know what the article was talking about.

Why did I comment? I desired to point out the relative worthlessness of the article.

I basically agree with many disappointed Russians on the Federation's president. Nonetheless, you live in fairy tale world if you say that Putin is ruling over the country. Just tell me, and I will provide you with articles showing te enormous amount of power and influence that Oligarchs have in Russia, and even from OUTSIDE Russia.

But you already know that, you are just playing games, trying to defend your bosses. You want them to be in charge in Russia and you are doing everything for this purpose. What did they promise you? Maybe some Gubernia to exploit adn destroy at your pleasure, as they did? Do not dream, you will never get it.