The Moldovan suspected of murdering the Russian journalist Ilia Zimin, former employee of the NTV Russian channel, was acquitted by the Court of Ocnita. Velcev that was under arrest was released in the court.

The court presented, at the 25 December sitting, the sentence of acquittal of all charges, lawyer of the accused Victor Chilat said, contacted by BASA-press. “Though the prosecutor requested 25 years imprisonment, the instance concluded the innocence of my client”, the lawyer said.

The supposed murderer presented his last speech at the sitting that pleaded not guilty and requested to be acquitted.

The reasons that made the instance to take such a decision will be presented within ten days, in the motivated sentence, according to Chilat.

On June 22, 2006, Igor Velcev was arrested by the Moldovan police, near Cahul town. He was in general pursuit of Russia for murdering the Russian journalist from the NTV channel, Ilia Zimin, being accused of deliberate injures, as a result of which the victim died, and of extracting some goods from his house. Velcev is suspected by the Moldovan authorities of illegal passing the Moldovan-Ukrainian frontier. He is being detained in an isolator in Ocnita, Moldova. // BASA-Press


Publication date: 28 December 2007   

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