Pavel Ryaguzov, figurant in Politkovskaya's case, refuses from his evidences

Pavel Ryaguzov, employee of the FSB, accused of excess of his official duties, has refused in the court from his evidences, which he had given in the course of investigation of the murder case of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Lieutenant Colonel of FSB Pavel Ryaguzov was accused of delivering the information about Anna Politkovskaya's address to Shamil Buraev, former head of the Achkhoy-Martan District of Chechnya, who, in his turn, transferred it to the crime executors. Besides, Ryaguzov and former employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Sergey Hadzhikurbanov, accused of organizing the murder of the journalist, were charged of kidnapping and extorting money from a businessman. Later, Pavel Ryaguzov was withdrawn from Politkovskaya's criminal case. Charges were also removed from Shamil Buraev, and he was released from custody on June 3, 2008.

Also today, during the court session, the lady-state prosecutor asked Ryaguzov, whether anybody addressed him in autumn of 2006 with a request to establish Politkovskaya's place of registration or residence. Pavel Ryaguzov has stated that nobody had asked him this sort of question.

In response to this, the prosecution party announced the evidences of the FSB officer that he gave during the preliminary investigation. It follows from his interrogation that Buraev addressed Ryaguzov and asked him to find out Anna Politkovskaya's place of registration. The FSB officer fulfilled the request and reported that the journalist was registered in Dolgorukovskaya Street in Moscow. Some time later, Buraev again asked Ryaguzov to find out the actual Politkovskaya's residence, but this request was not fulfilled by Ryaguzov, as the RIA "Novosti" reports.

At the today's court session the defendant has confirmed that he had given these evidences, but stated that they have nothing to do with reality.

"I am a working FSB employee, and I was obliged to give the evidences that the inspector wanted," the defendant said.

Pavel Ryaguzov has emphasized that inspectors told him that he could get 15 years of imprisonment under another crime, and offered him to testify on Politkovskaya's case, as the "Interfax" reports. "They threatened me with 15 years and told that they need these and those evidences," he said.

"I gave the evidences, and they took away Article 126 of the Criminal Code ("Kidnapping"). This is my mathematics," he has added.

Sergey Hadzhikurbanov, in his turn, asserts that inspectors asked him to testify against Boris Berezovsky in exchange of his freedom. "Inspector Garibyan (who was investigating Politkovskaya's case) asked me to evidence against Berezovsky and promised that then I'd be completely withdrawn from the case," said the defendant.

According to his story, the investigators also asked him to evidence against high-ranking officials of Chechnya.

: ""Reporters without Borders" criticize Politkovskaya's murder trial," "Musayev claims that defendants' complaint was sent to the officer investigating case of Politkovskaya murder," "Court refuses to take Makhmudov brothers out to the place of Politkovskaya's murder."