Has Berezovsky secretly arrived to Minsk to trial over Zeltser?
- 7.08.2008, 1:37
Emanuel Zeltser’s brother claims that Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky has given evidence as a witness in Minsk city court.
Mark Zeltser told about that in an interview to BelaPAN. As said by him, it happened on August 5.
Official agencies do not comment on these reports. In particular, Minsk city court representatives told that they do not furnish with information about witnesses invited to testify. The State Border Committee has also refused to say whether Boris Berezovsky had crossed the border, referring to the confidential character of this information. Berezovsky himself is unavailable for comment as well.
The trial in the criminal process against the US citizen, lawyer Emanuel Zeltser, who was detained in Minsk on March 12, started on July 30. Hearings are held in Minsk city court behind closed doors, as the case has a status of a state secret. Zeltser is charged with the use of forged official documents, drugs smuggling and commercial espionage. He faces up to 7 years of imprisonment.
His friends and relatives have many times stated that Boris Berezovsky is connected with the arrest of Emanuel Zeltser. The Russian businessman, who lives in the Great Britain, has confirmed in the press that he granted a personal plane to Zeltser for his flight to Minsk. He has stated that he met with a group of Belarusian investigators in London for testifying in Zeltser’s case.
US Diplomats not allowed meeting with arrested Zeltser
The US diplomats haven’t been allowed to be present at the trial in the US citizen Emmanuel Zeltser’s case which is taking place in Minsk, the US Charge d'Affaires Jonathan Moore told at a press-conference in Minsk on August 6.
He said that the US representatives hadn’t been allowed to be present at the process. The process is closed for the US diplomats as well. They do not know the charges against him and cannot follow the state of his health, the US Charge d'Affaires said. He underlined that the US still demand to release E. Zeltser on humanitarian grounds.
The head of the US diplomatic mission specified that representatives of the Embassy met with E. Zeltser only three times since March 12. One time he was visited by an American physician.
As the Charter’97 press-centre informed, on March 12 Mr Zeltser and his secretary boarded Mr Berezovsky's aircraft in London and flew to Minsk, where they were arrested. Mr Zeltser has been accused of use of false documents. Zeltser is a lawyer of US citizen Joseph Kay, a distant relative of Georgian businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili. After Patarkatsishvili had died on 13 February, J. Kay presented documents, proving he was an executor of his will. The documents were prepared by E. Zeltser, but B. Patarkatsishvili’s relatives say they were forged, after that E. Zeltser was detained in Minsk. On 13 May Tbilisi court has recognized Joseph Kay as a legitimate executor of the will, by this confirming the documents are authentic.
The details of Zeltser’s arrest are not officially commented, as the case is has a status of a state secret.
On 27 May a case on part 1 of article 328 (possession and smuggling of illegal drugs) and part 2 of article 228 (drugs smuggling) of the Criminal Code of Belarus was instituted against E. Zeltser. Zeltser’s physician appealed to the Prosecutor General Office several times saying the medicines, seized during the detention, are vital for his patient. He also said he had never informed his patient the medicines contained the substances which can be considered narcotics.
The US lawyer does not plead guilty of “industrial espionage” he is accused of, and he says it’s a “totally false case”.
Zeltser’s relatives, in particular, his brother Mark Zeltser, link his detainment with case of Badri Patarkatsishvili’s estate.
Emanuel Zeltser’s brother thinks Boris Berezovsky orchestrated the arrest of Mr. Zeltser in Belarus. Mark thinks Berezovsky planned Emanuel Zeltser’s visit to Belarus beforehand.
The US Department of State demanded the Belarusian authorities to release the American lawyer immediately. United States consul Caroline Savage visited the arrested man on 25 April. According to the consul, Zeltser said to her he had been beaten on the second and third days of his detention. The lawyer lost a considerable amount of weight, had difficulty walking and talking.