DUSHANBE, October 16, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- The trial of a group of confederates of the former director of the Isfara chemical plant also ex-member of the Sughd regional legislature (Majlis), Nizomkhon Jourayev, is going on in the Sughd province, Naimjon Mulloyev, first deputy head of the Supreme Court, remarked at a press conference  in Dushanbe today.  

According to him, the trial is open and Justice Nour Nourov of the Supreme Court is taking in it.  However, the main person involved in this case, Nizomkhon Jourayev, is still wanted by police.  

As it had been reported earlier, the case of Nizomkhon Jourayev moved to the Supreme Court in July 2008.  33 persons figure as accomplices of Jourayev and 17 of them were already detained.  

According to the Tajik law enforcement authorities, damage caused by this criminal grouping to the country’s economy has amounted to 38 million somoni, including 18 million somoni in tax evasion and 20 million somoni in embezzlement and misappropriation of state funds.  Members of that criminal grouping are reportedly charged not only with economic crimes but also with murder of deputy Tajik chief prosecutor, Tolib Boboyev, committed in the northern city of Chkalovsk in 1999, as well as banditry, money laundry, illegally bearing, possessing, acquiring, and manufacturing weapons, etc.   

According to the anticorruption agency chief, this criminal group has been involved in illegal privatization of 16 state-owned properties.  Following anticorruption agency’s application, the Higher Economic Court has nullified privatization of those facilities and they have been returned to state.”

Criminal proceedings were instituted against Jourayev in 2007 and eight alleged accomplices of Jourayev were detained last year.  Jourayev himself faces charges of killing, banditry, organization of illegal armed formation, illegal possession of weapons, money laundry, embezzlement of state funds, and tax evasion.