Kabardino-Balkaria: last defence witness in the case of Ingush militiamen interrogated by Supreme Court

Today, Amur Kortkoev, head of the FSB Department for the Republic of Ingushetia, was interrogated as a witness at the trial conducted by the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria in the case of the commanders of the Malgobek ROVD (District Interior Unit) of Ingushetia, accused of the negligence that had lead to the terror act in Beslan.

Amur Kortkoev has evidenced, same as the earlier interrogated former Minister of Internal Affairs of Ingushetia Tochkhoev, that the FSB Department for the Republic of Ingushetia possessed no information about the would-be terror act in Beslan.

The Court has rejected the earlier adopted petition to summon Mikhail Pankov, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, as a witness. The motive of rejection was a letter received from the office of the RF MIA stating that Mikhail Pankov is now outside the Southern Federal District and cannot appear at the trial.

Mr Dzantiev, former Minister of Internal Affairs of North Ossetia-Alania, whose summon to the trial was also petitioned by the victims, has also failed to appear in the courtroom.

Amur Kortkoev was the last witness of the defence. However, the witnesses applied for summoning by the victims are rejected by the Court, as a rule. Thus, the judicial investigation is coming to its end, and debates of the parties can be appointed for the following session already.