Theory on Berezovsky's involvement in Politkovskaya murder unfounded - Politkovskaya's son
MOSCOW. Sept 1 (Interfax) - A son of the late journalist Anna Politkovskaya considers the investigators' theory about her murder being ordered in London, which was stated in the book of Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin, unfounded.
"There is not a word on that in the case files, except for guesses of Pavlyuchenkov [one of the suspects in organizing the murder], I consider this theory unfounded," Ilya Politkovsky said, replying to an Interfax question.
He said he personally, together with lawyers, studied the case files and found no confirmation that the late oligarch Boris Berezovsky was involved in murder of Politkovskaya in it.
In his book "The most high-profile crimes of the 21st century in Russia" Markin said earlier that the order to kill Politkovskaya had probably arrived from London, where the Novaya Gazeta journalist was a regular visitor in the office of the now late oligarch Boris Berezovsky.
Journalist, public figure and Novaya Gazeta observer Politkovskaya was killed in the entrance hall of her apartment building in Moscow on October 7, 2006.
On May 20, 2015, a jury passed a guilty verdict on five defendants in the Politkovskaya murder case: Lom-Ali Gaitukayev born in Chechnya, his nephews Rustam, Jabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov, and former police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov. They were found guilty of murder and illegal arms turnover. Rustam Makhmudov was also found guilty of abduction and extortion.
On June 9, the Moscow City Court gave life sentences to Gaitukayev and Rustam Makhmudov, a 12-year sentence to Ibragim Makhmudov, a 14-year sentence to Jabrail Makhmudov (his prison term was cut by six months by the Russian Supreme Court) and a sentence of 20 years in a maximum security penitentiary to Sergei Khadzhikurbanov.
However, Investigative Committee detectives have not yet named any person suspected of directly ordering this crime.