Hearing begins on the case of the judge who sentenced Budanov

Today, the Moscow Garrison Military Court has started the hearing on the case of Vladimir Bukreev, former judge of the North-Caucasian Regional Court, who in 2003 passed the verdict of guilty to Colonel Yuri Budanov who had killed a Chechen girl.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the case against Bukreev was initiated in 2004 after he resigned. According to the investigation, in March 2003 Judge Bukreev took a bride of 150,000 US dollars from Sergey Serkin, former head of foodstuffs service of the North-Caucasian Military District (NCMD) (now, he is the main witness in the case) for "help" in consideration of his criminal case in the cassation instance. Serkin was accused in the case related to purchase of foodstuffs under excessive prices, as a result of which, according to the investigation, the damage was caused to the state in the sum of more than 30 million roubles.

Under the version of the investigation, Bukreev and Ahmedov in fact were not going to do anything for Serkin; therefore, they are accused of a swindle not of bribe-taking. According to the investigation, in the safe of Bukreev's son only eight hundred-dollar banknotes were detected, the numbers of which coincided with the numbers of the banknotes that officer Serkin had given to Bukreev's colleague - Public Prosecutor Ahmedov, however, the former judge was all the same accused of a swindle.

The Prosecutor's Office had brought case also against Sergey Miroshnichenko and Sharif Ahmedov. However later because of their "active repentance" the criminal prosecution against them was stopped.

According to the advocate of defendant Bukreev, "these persons were completely released from criminal liability and are now the witnesses of the prosecution, in spite of the fact that money was detected on them. The investigation needs them to evidence against Bukreev."

Alexander Elisov, a member of the International Union of Journalists and Chairman of the All-Russian Movement "Committee of Public Investigations", wrote in his article "Choice of Judge Bukreev" that Bukreev's trial was held with numerous violations and prejudice of the judges, who were pressed by the Prosecutor's Office.

"The case was forged, evidences were falsified, and the only reason of Bukreev's prosecution by the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office and the State Office of Public Prosecutor is the desire to punish him for his professional work," Elena Orlyankin, advocate of the former judge, said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

We remind you that it was Bukreev who sentenced in 2003 Colonel Yuri Budanov to 10 years of colony having found him guilty of kidnapping and murdering Chechen girl Elza Kungaeva, 18.