 The Tajik Prosecutor General's Office pressed charges against leader of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT) Makhmadruzi Iskandarov. According to investigation, Mr. Iskandarov embezzled $40 million while being the CEO of Tajikgaz.
| That's usually an adequate reason for pressing charges... |
Mr. Iskandarov has been also accused of terrorist activities, a murder attempt, illegal possession of arms and illegal employment of 11 bodyguards (five of them were officially registered as Tajikgaz employees).
| What a busy lad he's been! |
According to Prosecutor General Bobokhonov, the Tajik Prosecutor General's Office issued a warrant for arrest of Mr. Iskandarov on November 26, 2004. After that the name of the DPT leader was put on the interstate search list.
| That means he coup the floop? |
He was arrested in the northern outskirts of Moscow on Thursday by Russian law enforcement operatives.
"Stick 'em up!"
"I give up, law enforcement operatives!" |
Available data indicates that Mr. Iskandarov might belong to an illegal armed band led by the field commander of the former United Tajik opposition Eribek Ibragimov, also known as Sheik. Several years ago, the band operated in the Tadzhikabad district - the native place of Mr. Iskandarov.
| It's a very small town. Nobody lives there but him, so who else could it be? |
In the end of August, 2004, members of the band assaulted the buildings of the local police headquarters and prosecutor's office. As a result, a police officer was killed and another wounded. On September 2, units of the Tajik Interior Ministry conducted a special operation detaining the Sheik and 20 other members of the band. The operatives also discovered a weapons cache.
| "Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! And no lip outta you, Sheikh!" |
The cache contained 15 portable anti-tank missile systems, 10 portable anti-aircraft missile systems (Igla), four Kalashnikov machine guns, two submachine guns, 21 anti-tank missiles, 112 air-to-ground rockets, a Grad complex, a BMP gun, and more than 5,000 rounds of various ammunition.
"And what were yez plannin' on doin' with these, Mr. Sheikh?"
"Elk season's coming up..." |
During the civil war of 1992-1997, Mr. Iskandarov was one of the influential field commanders of the Islamic opposition. The Sheik was one of his closest aides at the time. Mr. Iskandarov established residence in Moscow in August 2004. In his interviews with the media, in particular, with a newspaper of the Tajik opposition Charogi Ruz published in Moscow, he harshly criticized the policies conducted by current Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov. The Democratic Party of Tajikistan led by Iskandarov joined the Coalition of Tajik political parties For free and transparent elections organized in April 2004 by Tajik political parties in opposition.
| That's what they needed the Grad complex for... |
The DPT numbers 4,500 people. It planned to put 22 candidatures on the ballot for the upcoming parliamentary elections. However, one of the DPT leaders stated during a press conference that the arrest of Mr. Iskandarov might hinder the party's participation in the 2005 parliamentary elections in Tajikistan. |