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Preliminary Probe in Politkovskaya Case Over — Spokesman

Mourners with Photo of Anna Politkovskaya
file photo
MOSCOW. Sept 6 (Interfax) - Russia's Investigative Committee has finished a preliminary investigation into ex-policeman Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov's suspected complicity in the 2006 assassination of Russian investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya.

"The accused and the injured parties have been notified about the completion of the investigation, and will soon begin to study the records of the criminal proceedings," Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told Interfax.

Pavlyuchenkov is to be put on a "specially arranged" trial "in view of the fact that the accused is complying with the terms of the pretrial agreement on cooperation that has been made with him," Markin said.

Earlier reports claimed there was incontrovertible evidence that Pavlyuchenkov had a role in the crime. He is accused of complicity in a conspiracy-based contract murder and of weapons trafficking.

Investigators claim they have been unable to find out who commissioned Politkovskaya's assassination. They allege that the criminal job was entrusted to a man called Lom-Ali Gaitukayev and that the latter put together a group of half a dozen people to carry it out. The group included Pavlyuchenkov, who at that time served in the Moscow police force.

"As a result of the distribution of roles, between July and September 2006 Pavlyuchenkov found out Politkovskaya's de facto residential address and her routes of movement, and passed on this information to other members of the organized group. He also acquired a weapon and ammunition that subsequently became the instrument of the murder," said Markin.

"In collecting information about Politkovskaya, for spying on her Pavlyuchenkov used the services of operatives who served under his command and possessed professional surveillance skills. He did not notify them about his criminal intentions," the spokesman said.

"For several days in October 2006, the members of the criminal group would go to Politkovskaya's home address, where they planned the role for each of them, practically trained their actions, set the time and day for the murder, and planned their routes of departure from the crime scene," he said.

On October 7, the group member chosen as the hit man entered the stairwell of the building in central Moscow where Politkovskaya's apartment was located. He was armed with a pistol given him by Pavlyuchenkov. When Politkovskaya stepped into the elevator around 4 p.m., he shot her five times, killing her on the spot.

Keywords: Russia, Assassinations, Beatings, Prison Deaths - Russian News - Russia - Johnson's Russia List

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