15:41, 6 April 2023

Court in Nalchik doubles compensation to farmer Kardanova for criminal prosecution

Djuliet Kardanova, a farmer, after the court session. Photo by Lyudmila Maratova

The court of appeal has increased from 500,000 to 1,000,000 roubles the compensation awarded for moral harm suffered by Djuliet Kardanova, a farmer from the city of Nartan, who was acquitted within the fraud case when receiving subsidies. Kardanova has treated the court's decision as fair.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 12, 2022, the Supreme Court (SC) of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) granted Kardanova's complaint against the judgement that found her guilty of forging documents. The appeal instance acquitted Kardanova with the right to rehabilitation.

Back in 2018, Djuliet Kardanova was accused of a fraud while receiving subsidies for the creation of a farm. In 2020, the court found her guilty of forging documents and fined her, but released her from liability due to the statute of limitations. The KBR's SC overturned the verdict and sent the case back for retrial. In November 2021, the court again found Kardanova guilty and fined her, but due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, she was released from paying the fine.

According to Kardanova, after the court recognized her right to rehabilitation, she went to court with a claim for compensation for the suffered moral harm. On December 22, 2022, the court awarded her compensation in the amount of 500,000 roubles.

Djuliet Kardanova said she was grateful to the public that supported her.

"My criminal prosecution lasted for four years. During all this time I experienced a lot of hardships; I lost my health and suffered reputational losses. They can't compensate for this. But anyway, I'm glad that justice has triumphed ... In particular, I am very grateful to Zhantemir Gubachikov for the professional and human support that he gave me," Ms Kardanova has stated.

Zhantemir Gubachikov, a human rights defender, died on November 24, 2021. He was known as an active defender of villagers' and farmers' interests.

Let us remind you that Kardanova's acquittal became a precedent and encouraged other farmers who are also in litigations to protect their rights; this was stated in April 2022 by the KBR's Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

In May 2016, the KBR's Prosecutor's Office stated that subsidy frauds had become one of the main type of economic crimes committed in the republic.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 5, 2023 at 02:52 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: СK correspondent