Friday, 3 July 2009
The investigation in the 2004 murder of Forbes Russia editor Paul Klebnikov, which was suspended earlier in the year, has been resumed, a top Russian investigator said on Friday.
"The case has been resumed and the timeframe of the investigation extended. The case was actually suspended, but it was not closed," Alexander Bastrykin said, adding that "we will be seeking justice."
A U.S. citizen of Russian descent, Klebnikov, 41, was the editor of Forbes Russia from its launch in April 2004. He gained an international reputation for investigating murky business deals and corruption in the post-Soviet era, and was killed leaving his office in central Moscow in July 2004.
Two Chechens were charged with killing Klebnikov, allegedly on orders from a Chechen warlord, but they were acquitted and set free in 2006. The Supreme Court ordered their retrial but the process had been suspended after one of the defendants went missing.
On December 17, 2007, the Moscow City Court referred the case back to prosecutors to enable the department to ensure the attendance of the chief suspect, Kazbek Dukuzov.
The other defendant in the case, Musa Vakhayev has signed a guarantee not to leave the country. Another suspect, Fail Sadretdinov, was also cleared of murder charges in May 2006, but sentenced in January 2007 to nine years in prison for property fraud in a separate case relating to his work as a public notary.
