DUSHANBE, July 7 2009, Asia-Plus  - The Prosecutor-General’s Office has appealed against the verdict of the Supreme Court against 31 associates of the fugitive businessman Nizomkhon Jourayev, Tajik chief prosecutor Bobojon Bobokhonov announced at a press conference in Dushanbe today.

According to him, if the court does not reconsider the case, the prosecutor-general’s office has the right to institute criminal proceedings against the judge who took in the trial.

“I have encountered such a lawlessness in my practice for the first time,” said Bobokhonov, “For example, the charge of organization of criminal grouping brought against them was dropped during the preliminary investigation already; however, this charge figures in the indictment that means that the court ignored the investigation data.  Moreover, the trial was held in Khujand and 100,000 somoni were spent on travel expenses alone but was the result?”

Bobokhonov said that the verdict against 31 associates of Nizomkhon Jourayev was “unfair and illegal.”

Supreme Court Justice Nour Nourov, who took in the trial, refused from commenting on chief prosecutor’s statement.

We will recall that the Supreme Court sentenced 31 associates of Nizomkhon Jourayev to long jail terms on June 10.  The trial was held in Khujand, the capital of Sughd province.

The defendants were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 25 years.  The sentence followed their conviction on charges of a number of serious crimes, including organization of criminal grouping, tax evasion, a number of financial crimes, and killing of the Deputy Prosecutor-General of Tajikistan Tolib Boboyev in 1999.

Thus, two brothers of Nizomkhon Jourayev – Tolib Jourayev and Fakhriddin Jourayev – were sentenced to 23 and 21 years in prison respectively for having been involved in organizing the assassination of Tolib Boboyev 10 years ago.

However, lawyers of the convicted businessmen and their relatives say that all the charges are baseless, and the Tajik authorities are simply using them to seize the property and businesses of Jourayev and his colleagues, radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on June 11.  Hamdam Vahhobov, whose brother Ghanijon was sentenced to 21 years in prison, told RFE/RL that his brother was working in Jourayev''s company and had nothing to do with criminal activities.

Nizomkhon Jourayev was a successful businessman who owned a chemical plant and a distillery in Sughd’s Isfara district.

In 2007 investigations were launched into his financial activities; he faces a number of charges ranging from tax evasion to embezzlement of state funds.  Later in 2008 Nizomkhon Jourayev was officially accused of ordering Boboyev''s assassination.  He left the country before his arrest warrant was issued.