15:36, 18 March 2014

Witness in Politkovskaya's murder case rejects earlier evidence

Moscow City Court. Photo: http://www.mosgorsud.su/

Today, at a session of the Moscow City Court (MCC), where the case of the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, an observer of the "Novaya Gazeta", is considered, a defence witness Maxim Chervonya Ogly has renounced his evidence given at the preliminary investigation.

The court has announced the interrogation protocols of the above Chervonya Ogly, saying that the witness had several times met the accused Rustam Makhmudov in the presence of the ex- militiaman Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, who called Rustam "a mercenary and killer", and saw the money and a pistol with a silencer delivered to the alleged gunman.

Maxim Chervonya Ogly has rejected the above evidence given at the preliminary investigation. "You may throw this case file into the trash. I hear this testimony for the first time," said the witness as quoted by the "Interfax".

The prosecutor Maria Semenenko has expressed the need to address the issue of attracting Maxim Chervonya Ogly to criminal liability for perjury. She added that she saw attributes of complicity of this witness in preparing Politkovskaya's murder.