The Belov Case. Continuation.
#Belov #justice #process
The second trial in the "Belov case" is currently underway in the Leninsky District Court of Nizhny Novgorod. We reported on the first trial in the spring in an interview with Vadim Belov himself ( • Дело Белова. Полная версия. ). The jury acquitted him in January, but the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court overturned the verdict in June and sent him back for a new trial ( • Дело Белова. Суд отменил оправдательный ве... ). The court found that the defense had influenced the jury.
As a reminder, law enforcement authorities are accusing Vadim Belov, the former head of a department of the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs' drug enforcement department, of abuse of office and attempted distribution of 2.2 kilograms of a synthetic drug (Part 1 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code; Part 5 of Article 30, Article 228.1 of the Criminal Code). The key witness in the case, as before, is a multiple-convict heroin user. His testimony forms the basis for the prosecution's case, which sees Belov facing up to life imprisonment.
Vadim Belov is currently being held in the Gagarin Avenue Pretrial Detention Facility. He was arrested by the court for allegedly using the internet. Previously, the same court placed him under house arrest because he missed a hearing due to suspicion of contracting the coronavirus. Apparently, the prosecution is eager for the new jurors to see him in a cage.
Our interview today is with Oleg Shcherbakov, a lawyer who observed Belov's first trial. Back then, he was firmly convinced that the former police officer was innocent. He is now serving as Vadim's public defender. We spoke with him about the details of the case, which is being heard today in the Leninsky District Court, effectively behind closed doors, as the press is not allowed into the courtroom.