Person acquitted in Politkovskaya's case suspected of extorting 350,000 US dollars

Sergey Khadzhikurbanov, recently acquitted in Anna Politkovskaya's murder case, a former employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Russian Federation, was summoned to inquiry bodies on another criminal case - on extortion 350,000 dollars from Mr Pavlyuchenkov, a witness in Politkovskaya's case.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 19, jurymen unanimously acquitted all the defendants in Anna Politkovskaya's murder case. Sergey Khadzhikurbanov was among them.

"Today, Khadzhikurbanov was summoned to the Chief Investigatory Department of the GUVD to have his voice examined and acquaint him with a number of documents," Andrei Litvin, Khadzhikurbanov's advocate, told the "Interfax".

In the new case Sergey Khadzhikurbanov is a suspect.

"He signed recognizance not to leave the city, thus, his freedom has already been restricted," said the advocate and added that the accusation has not yet been presented to Khadzhikurbanov.

According to Mr Litvin, the charge with extortion has to do with the recent verdict of "not guilty" in Politkovskaya's murder case.

"My opinion is that both cases are connected. The aim is clear - to keep him behind bars," Andrei Litvin said in his interview to the "Infox.ru" correspondent.

Pavlyuchenkov is a former employee of the MIA's Operative-Search Department (OSD). He took advantage of the witness protection programme and reported that Khadzhikurbanov had tried to force him "to work out" his debt and penalty in the sum of 350,000 dollars and shadow Politkovskaya, as the "Rosbalt" reports.

Let us note here that the investigation thought Sergey Khadzhikurbanov to be the organizer of the murder. This former employee of the UBOP (Division to Fight Organized Crime) was released, two weeks before the journalist's murder, from the Butyrka prison. Under the inspectors' version, this former militiaman had personally organized a criminal group with the aim to liquidate Politkovskaya.