MOSCOW, February 21 (Itar-Tass) – The Basmanny District Court of Moscow sanctioned Thursday an arrest in absentia for Georgian politician Givi Targamadze, who is accused in the criminal case over masterminding massive disorders in Russia.
Thus, Judge Natalia Mushnikova satisfied a petition from the detective, who asked to put Targamadze under arrest.
“Trying a petition from the detective the court ruled that it should be satisfied,” the judge read out the court verdict.
In her words, the court took into account that Targamadze has “sweeping ties in different structures, including criminal connections,” and can try to put into practice his criminal schemes. Meanwhile, Mushnikova noted that Targamadze is accused of a heinous crime, and being at large, can exert pressure on the detectives and inform other accomplices. “The age, the family status and the state of health permit him to be kept at the detention centre,” she said.
“Since Targamadze is escaping justice in Georgia, the court ruled on February 15 to put him on the international wanted list,” of the National Central Bureau of Interpol in Russia, detective of the Russian Investigation Committee Rustam Gabdullin said.
“The detectives found that Targamadze together with Udaltsov, Lebedev and Razvozzhayev were masterminding the actions, which were targeted at massive disorders in Russia, went to other cities, where they were preparing to deploy training camps. Their actions were not finalized, because the investigative bodies learnt about them,” Gabdulin said.
The public prosecutor supported a petition from the detective.
“I believe that the detectives came to grounded conclusions that no other measure of restraint, but only the term under arrest, can be handed down on Targamadze,” he said, noting that, in his view, the Georgian politician intends to escape from the Russian law enforcement agencies further.
Meanwhile, Targamadze’s lawyer Galina Stepanenko stated in the court that the petition from the detective cannot be satisfied. In her view, the detectives did not take any efforts to summon Targamadze for interrogation in Russia.
The Russian Investigation Committee accused in absentia Targamadze on February 14 in the criminal case over masterminding massive disorders in Russia. The defendants in the criminal case are also coordinator of the Left Front Sergei Udaltsov, Lebedev and Razvozzhayev. On the next day the Moscow police put Targamadze on the federal wanted list. Meanwhile, the detectives are investigating whether the Georgian politician was involved in the funding of massive disorders in Russia.
The criminal case over masterminding massive disorders in Russia was opened after the broadcasting of the film Anatomy of Protest-2, in which Udaltsov, Lebedev and Razvozzhayev were negotiating with head of the Georgian parliamentary committee for defence and security Givi Targamadze and discussed the masterminding of massive disorders and their foreign financing.
On January 10, the Russian Investigation Committee merged this criminal case with another criminal case over massive disorders on the Bolotnaya Square in Moscow.