“Kommersant” became aware of the details of the investigation conducted by the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia (GSU TFR) in Moscow, as a result of which the founder and owner of the publishing house “Umma” Aslambek Ezhaev received a 17-year sentence. The prosecution proved that the elderly publisher sent at least 43 million rubles to finance the banned Islamic State (IS) to Syria, while the defendant himself swore by Allah that he had nothing to do with terrorists.
The 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow found Aslambek Ezhaev guilty of committing a crime under Part 4 of Art. 205.1 (organization of financing of terrorist activities) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
The state prosecution requested 18 years in a strict regime colony for him. A panel of three judges headed by Sergei Brovko, who had been considering the case since May last year, generally agreed with the prosecutor’s office. For the first of the two episodes into which the case was formally divided, he was sentenced to 6 years of strict regime, and for the second – 16 years of strict regime and a year of restriction of freedom. After a partial addition of terms, the publisher received 17 years in prison, of which he will spend 4 years in prison.
By decision of the Presnensky District Court, Aslambek Ezhaev ended up in a pre-trial detention center in April 2021. He was detained by the FSB and the Main Investigative Directorate of the ICR, who had long dealt with the financiers of the Syrian militants. Initially, the participants in the investigation contacted Alim Begiev (sentenced to 17 years). As a trader for Gorbushka, he attracted dozens of people who collected money for the militants of the banned ISIS. When the investigative team, which, by the way, was led by a young investigator, recorded the activities of the radicals, the publisher Ezhaev came into their field of vision.
After the arrest, Aslambek Ezhaev categorically denied his guilt, only complaining that he was not warned in time and he did not have time to move from Russia to Turkey or France, where he had residence permits.
Then, after consulting with lawyers, the accused publisher refused to testify at all, referring to Art. 51 of the Constitution, which allows not to testify against oneself.
Meanwhile, with the help of Rosfinmonitoring and other special services, the Main Investigative Directorate of the ICR established that Aslambek Ezhaev had been engaged in illegal activities since 2012 until his arrest. At the same time, the prosecution believes that the publisher accumulated money that came to him for allegedly sold books, and then took them out in cash to Turkey or withdrew from his accounts abroad, transferring them to couriers who transported finances to Syria.
It was not possible to trace the full volume of financial transactions, but, according to operational data, it could be much more than the investigators and the court established. At the same time, the publisher did not forget about himself: Aslambek Ezhaev had a lot of real estate, including a number of houses in the Ramensky urban district of the Moscow region.
The publisher was threatened with charges not only for financing the banned IS, but also for participating in the terrorist underground (Article 205.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). A number of witnesses for the prosecution testified that he swore allegiance to the terrorist leaders, but the corresponding video recording and other evidence were not found.
Appearing before the court, Aslambek Ezhaev changed his position, turning to active defense. Speaking with the last word, he swore that he was not connected with the militants, and bequeathed to his sons to restore his good name.
The participants in the investigation, in turn, say that there is no chance for this, but there are plenty of chances for the accused to become a defendant in new cases. The investigation is checking a number of data on the participation of the publisher in prohibited activities, and in addition, they are dealing with other participants in the financing, who transferred money to the owner of Umma, allegedly for the books they received.
The works themselves, published by Umma, also raised questions. The Main Investigative Committee of the ICR reported that, according to experts, they were recognized as extremist, but the publisher changed the names, reprinting the banned books. They were later confiscated in colonies where those convicted of terrorist crimes are serving their sentences.
Publisher defense representatives were not available for comment.