The Moscow City Court sentenced thief in law Rashad Ismailov (Rashad Gyandzhinsky) to 21 years in a strict regime colony. He was found guilty of double murder, as well as occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy. As it was established in court, the accused was involved in the execution in 2009 in Moscow of two fellow countrymen, after which the path to the highest criminal hierarchy was opened for him. Rashad Gyandzhinsky himself did not admit his guilt and intends to appeal the verdict.
It took only a few minutes for the verdict to be announced. While the judge was reading his decision, Rashad Ismailov walked around the “aquarium” from side to side, showing with all his appearance that he did not attach much importance to what was happening.
The last meeting was preceded by a debate of the parties, during which, we recall, the prosecutor demanded to sentence the crime boss to 23 years in a strict regime colony.
Such a severe punishment was due to the fact that Rashad Gyandzhinsky was accused not only of occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy (Article 210.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and carrying weapons (Part 2 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), but also of complicity in a double murder (Part 2 article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
According to the materials of the case, which was investigated by the Main Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (TFR) for Moscow, the murder was committed on May 15, 2009, when Rashad Ismailov, together with an accomplice from a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a TT pistol, shot the natives of Azerbaijan Mammadali Huseynov and Gasham Verdiev, who were in a BMW x5. This happened not far from the Izmailovsky highway next to the cafe “Botik Petra”.
According to law enforcement officers, the victims of the killers were part of the gang of thief in law Rovshan Dzhaniev (Rovshan Lenkoransky). The latter, according to security officials, tried to take control of the supply of vegetables and fruits to the capital, which had previously been in the sphere of interests of the authoritative Azerbaijani businessman Bakhysh Aliyev (Vakh). According to law enforcement officers, Rashad Ismailov worked for the latter. At the same time, as the investigation established, the murder was also revenge for the massacre in 2007 in Baku of businessman Raguf Rustamov, who was close to Vakha.
Subsequently, the execution in Moscow, according to law enforcement agencies, opened the way for Rashad Ismailov to the highest circles of the criminal world.
In February 2013, he was “crowned”. From that moment on, the thief, according to the Moscow Main Investigative Directorate of the ICR, became responsible for filling the common fund to support prisoners in pre-trial detention centers and colonies, appointed representatives of the underworld to lower levels of the criminal hierarchy and held thieves’ gatherings.
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After the “crowning”, Rashad Ismailov was detained several times in Moscow at meetings, but each time after checking the documents they were released. And in 2018, he was detained in Minsk after throwing a noisy party. The police officers who arrived at the scene found weapons and drugs in the thief and his friends, in addition, it turned out that the visitors had crossed the border on fake passports.
For this, Rashad Ismailov received ten years in prison, but did not stay in prison for long: by decision of the Supreme Court of Belarus, he was released on parole and immediately handed over to Russian law enforcement officers, who had already filed a case against him under Art. 210.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Already in the course of the investigation of this case, the accusation was supplemented by an episode with a double murder.
However, the thief in law himself did not plead guilty, so his defenders asked for an acquittal.
In support of this requirement, the lawyers pointed out that many of the persons who could have acted as witnesses at the trial had long since died in criminal squabbles. Therefore, according to the defense, the investigation was based only on circumstantial evidence.
However, the court considered the charges brought against the thief to be proven and sentenced him to a long term of imprisonment, which turned out to be only two years less than requested by the prosecutor.
After the verdict was announced, Rashad Ismailov’s lawyer did not comment on the outcome of the trial. But taking into account the position of the convict, it can be argued that the court decision will be appealed. In turn, the representative of the prosecutor’s office expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the process.