VLADIKAVKAZ, August 11 (Itar-Tass) — The Supreme Court of North Ossetia will pass on Thursday a sentence on Alexander Dzhussoyev, charged with several resounding contract murders of ranking officials and police officers.
According to the investigation, he committed, along with his gang, the assassination of the Vladikavkaz Mayor Vitaly Karayev, former North Ossetian first vice-premier Kazbek Pagiev and his driver as well as several civilians.
Dzhussoyev is also accused of an attempt on life of head of the criminal search department of the republican Interior Ministry Vitaly Cheldiev and section head of the criminal search department Aslan Kachmazov who were investigating the operation of the above gang.
Court hearings started last November. Dzhussoyev concluded agreement during the preliminary investigation on a special order of conducting court hearings. However, court hearings started with an unexpected trick right at the first meeting: the accused refused to recognise his guilt. And the court hearings were conducted in an ordinary way.
Dzhussoyev is charged under articles of the Russian Criminal Code “Murder”, “Banditry”, “Attempts on life of officers of law enforcement bodies” and others. He was detained in April 2009 along with supposed ringleader of the gang Oleg Gagiev in Moscow.
In July the Russian Supreme Court decided to send the criminal case against Gagiev to a district military court. Spokesman of the Russian Investigation Committee Vladimir Markov said that its decision had been taken in connection with the fact that “ the investigation had data on possible preparation by mobsters who are on international and federal lists, for attacks on trial participants”.
According to Markin, “the investigation received information during its search activities of a real threat to life and health of victims and witnesses of the above criminal case, while they will implement their juridical powers and rights during court hearings of this criminal case”.
Earlier, the North Ossetian Supreme Court sentenced to long prison terms three other members of the gang: Inal Ostayev who participated in four murders – to 19 years of strict regime colony, former police officer Rafael Kallagov who supplied information of measures conducted by police and “sheltered” his buddy thugs – to 18 years of strict regime colony and Alan Alborov who participated in preparing assassinations of ranking officials and police officers – to nine years of strict regime colony.