Court hearings of Bigeldy Gabdullin’s case will begin on 17 January

The Court found no grounds for the termination of the proceedings due to the active repentance of the defendant and set up the beginning of the main hearings of  Bigeldy Gabdullin’s for 10 am  17 January. According to the judge Baglan Idrissov, the issue of B.Gabdullin’s release from criminal liability could be settled only after the investigation of the criminal case in the court.

The judge rejected the request of B.Gabdullin’s lawyer to hold the trial behind closed doors. Nevertheless he satisfied the defendant's request to ban journalists to produce audio and video during the trial.

Editor-in-chief of newspaper “Central Asia Monitor” and director of the internet-portal “Radiotochka.kz” Bigelgy Gabdullin was accused of extortion (art. 194 p.4, s.2 of the Criminal Code). According to the National anticorruption bureau, B.Gabdullin used his media CentralAsiaMonitor and Radiotochka.kz to extort signing public contracts from government bodies.

According to information of National Bureau of Anti-Corruption Bigeldy Gabdullin pulished critical material about government bodies and stopped such publications in exchange for public contracts.

 On 15 November 2016 B.Gabdullin was detained and then arrested. 

Pre-trial hearings on B. B.Gabdullin’s case were held on 11 January.