Alexei Frenkel apologized to the judge in good time, she ruled against condemning him to a life sentence.
Photo: Sergey Kiselev
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Judge Left Hope for Freedom to Frenkel
Moscow City Court Judge Natalia Olikhver delivered yesterday the judgment of guilt re: the assassination of first deputy head of CBR Andrei Kozlov and his driver. Ex. CEO of VIP Bank Alexei Frenkel was jailed for 19 years for ordering the murder, as the judge didn’t upheld prosecutors demand for the life sentence. Six other prisoners on trial were sentenced to terms ranging from six years to life sentence. The defending lawyers said they had never seen such disgusting trial before.
Alexei Frenkel that apologized to the judge for “the tactless behavior during legal procedures” heard the verdict calmly. He was condemned to 19 years in jail for ordering the assassination of Andrei Kozlov, first deputy chairman of the CBR.
Kozlov had led a campaign against money laundering and corruption and revoked licenses of Frenkel’s bank. He was fatally wounded September 13, 2006, once he left Spartak stadium after the soccer match in Moscow. He died in the hospital soon after it.
Manager of Trish restaurant Liana Askerova was jailed for 13 years for arranging the crime. Boris Shafray, whom she asked “to find mates to sort it out with a man,” was sentenced to 14 years. Alexander Belokopytov, who drove criminals to Spartak stadium, near which Kozlov was wounded to death and his driver Alexander Semenov was killed, got ten years. Maxim Proglyada, who shot Andrei Kozlov, was jailed for 24 years, and Alexi Polovinkin, whose bullets were fatal for the injured banker and his driver, got the life sentence.
The verdict was the mildest for one of the crime arrangers Bogdan Pogorzhevsky, who had earned roughly $200,000 as a result of the crime and helped killers obtain the weapons. Pogorzhevsky collaborated with investigators and prosecutors and was jailed for no more than six years and a half.
Besides, Judge Olikhver upheld the 10-million ruble suit of Andrei Kozlov’s father, who had lived at the son’s expense. Frenkel, Polovinkin and Proglyada are to pay 2 million ruble each, and each of remaining convicts will pay 1 million ruble.
Prosecutors Gulchekhra Ibragimova and Boris Loktionov were pleased with the verdict. “Despite that we requested a life sentence for Alexei Frenkel, the judge resolved that he deserves a milder verdict,” Ibragimova said. “I think by delivering such verdict to Frenkel, Natalia Olikhver had in mind his positive reference, that it’s the first time when he was brought to the criminal responsibility and that he honestly apologized to her for his behavior during the judicial proceedings.”
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 14, 2008
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