Seriously ill judge who sentenced Budaev placed into pre-trial prison punishment cell

The Russian national movement "For Human Rights" and the Committee "For Civil Rights" express their grave concern in connection with the fact that, on December  28, Vladimir Bukreyev, the former  judge who sentenced colonel Budanov, has been placed into the punishment cell of Moscow's pre-trial prison No 5 for 15 days under the pretext that a SIM-card was found on him.

Bukreyev suffers from a grave illness, cervical ischemic myelopathy (spinal infarction). He has been put into a punishment cell after investigating officer Iziavliev V.A. refused to submit 32 volumes out of 37 of his case to Bukreyev and his lawyers. The RNM "For Human Rights" reports that hindering of their acquaintance with the case started from November 30.

The case against Burkeyev was initiated in 2004. According to the investigation, Judge Burkeyev took money from Sergei Serkin, former chief of food procurement service of the North Caucasus Military District (NCMD), for "help" in considering his criminal case at the cassation instance. Serkin was charged with acquisition of food products at exaggerated prices which, according to the investigation, had inflicted damage to the amount of more than 30 million rubles. In February 2004, the court reformulated the charge under the article on "negligence" and sentenced him to reimbursement of about 600,000 rubles.

The investigation claims that Burkeyev received 40,000 dollars, while his intermediary Sharif Akhmedov, former deputy prosecutor of the military district, got additional 10,000 dollars from Sergei Serkin for a promise to stay out of prison.

In March 2000, colonel Yury Budanov, commander of 160th tank regiment of Russian Ministry of Defense, and a group of his subordinates kidnapped and killed Elza Kungaeva, 17-year-old resident of village Tanghi-Chu. There was also evidence that the girl had been raped before her death, although later the investigation dropped this incident. Budanov was sentenced to 10 years of prison.