No Mercy in Court

The jury of the Moscow City’s Court brought in a verdict of guilty against Alexey Pichugin, former employee at the YUKOS security service. Pichugin was found guilty in having masterminded murder and attempted murder, with no recommendation to mercy, and may face imprisonment up to the life sentence. However the mercy was recommended for the second figurant, Tambov businessman Alexey Peshkun, who had admitted part of his guilt.


Like the whole process, the decisive hearing was held behind closed doors. Not only the media, but also relatives of the accused, including Pichugin’s mother Alla Pichugina, were unable to wriggle the way into the court room.

In two hours and a half after the hearing commenced, the lawyers came out to say they spent all that time endeavoring to adjust the census paper offered to the jury by judge Natalia Olikhver. According to lawyer Georgy Kaganer, there were 18 questions, many of them made out in clear violation of the Criminal Code. For instance, in the No. 15 question, which accuses Pichugin in having arranged the murder of Tambov-residents Sergey and Olga Gorins in 2002, it is specified that the crime was committed by unknown persons, the Gorins’ sun Dmitry suffered severe physical injury, the Gorins were murdered by the unknown persons, their corpses were buried in the middle of nowhere. The lawyers say the aim of such wording is to embarrass the jury, to prevent it from making a sentence of acquittal. Besides, the lawyers pressed for crossing out the reference to Pichugin’s employment at YUKOS, as it could affect the opinion of the jury and offered other adjustments. But despite two and a half hours of heated debate, none of the proposals put forward by the defense was sustained. It took eight minutes of discussion so that Olikhver was able to say nay to all appeals. Then, she spent two hours in reading the summing-up, which closely resembled a bill of indictment. In particular, Olikhver quoted testimony of the previously sentenced members of the Tambov Group, who acted as witnesses in the Pichugin’s case (the investigators claim the Group actually committed offense arranged by YUKOS employees). The summing-up ended by the judge’s request to the jury to neglect contradictions between the testimony made in the court and in the course of investigation.

The jury’s sentence was announced only at around 9:30 p.m. The majority (eight vs. four votes) determined the guilt of Pichugin under all criminal charges and recommended no mercy. Therefore, judge Olikhver may give a life sentence to Pichugin. Pichugin’s mate Alexey Peshkun might count on mercy in the case of attempted murder of Olga Kostina, former aid to Khodorkovsky. However, the term of the sentence for other crimes will be long.

The verdicts under Pichugin and Peshkun cases are expected today.

(From Kommersant, 3.24.2005)