MOSCOW, September 2 (Itar-Tass) —— The investigation is indicting a presumed accomplice in the murder of Novaya Gazeta observer Anna Politkovskaya, a former Moscow police officer, Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, the Investigative Committee spokesman, Vladimir Markin, told Itar-Tass on Friday.
"Within the framework of a criminal case, opened over the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the main investigations directorate of the IC is in the process of charging a former police lieutenant-colonel, Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov under Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code – murder of a person in connection with professional activity, organized by a group of persons for hire," he said.
Earlier, Pavlyuchenkov was detained and arrested as an alleged organizer of this high-profile murder.
"During the time that has elapsed since the arrest Pavlyuchenkov, in the course of the investigation his role in preparing the crime has been cleared up," said Markin.
"According to investigators, in July 2006, Lom-Ali Gaytukaev received from an unidentified person an order to murder for remuneration Novaya Gazeta observer Anna Politkovskaya. Gaytukaev created a criminal group, which included Pavlyuchenkov, Gaytukaev’s nephews – the Makhmudov brothers - and a former employee of the Central Regional Directorate for Combating Organized Crime at the Moscow Police Department, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, released from a penitentiary in September 2006," said the representative of the Investigative Committee.
"As the investigation has found, Pavlyuchenkov, at that time the chief officer of the 4th branch of the Moscow police force detective department, engaged in surveillance, instructed his subordinates to monitor the journalist to figure out her routes and schedule of daily movements about the city,” said Markin. “The information Pavlyuchenkov had gathered and the murder weapon had been transferred directly to the killer, Rustam Makhmudov and his supporters, who for several days before the crime monitored Anna Politkovskaya’s movements."
The Novaya Gazeta columnist was killed on October 7, 2006.
"When the journalist parked her car near the apartment building in Lesnaya Street and entered the elevator on the way to her apartment, five shots were fired at her. After that, the killer walked out of the house, got into a VAZ-21043 station wagon near the Novoslobodskaya metro station and together with other accomplices in the crime escaped from the scene," said Markin.
Investigation and detective work is in progress with the aim to establish all accomplices in the crime, the person who ordered it.