Release of son of Chechen billionaire Timur Bazhaev surprises lawyers

The release from the SIZO (pre-trial prison) of the son of Musa Bazhaev, a Chechen billionaire, is against the judicial practice and the law. In this case, the charge of assaulting a policeman cannot be reclassified, lawyers have noted.

On September 27, it became known that Timur Bazhaev was released from the SIZO. On July 27, he was detained in Moscow for using violence against a policeman. Musa Bazhaev, a billionaire, has stated that his son will be held accountable according to the law

The release of a person accused of assaulting a policeman after two months at the SIZO looks unnatural, Timofei Shirokov, a lawyer, believes.

Marina Agaltsova, his colleague, has also treated the fact that a person accused of such a crime was released from custody as surprising. She has recalled the case of Nikita Chertsov.

"On July 27, 2019, Nikita allegedly used violence against a policeman – he pushed him. The policeman had no bruises or abrasions. However, Chertsov was detained in Belarus, brought to Moscow and placed into custody ... He spent 11 months at the SIZO even under a lesser charge," Ms Agaltsova has explained. She believes that there are no grounds for reclassifying the charges against Bazhaev.