Illegal MiG export trial begins with accused claiming they were following government orders

Published: 1/11/2000

On 6th January, the closed trial of two men accused of arranging the illegal sale of some 40 MiG fighter aircraft to North Korea began in Almaty, but was immediately adjourned until 10th January, at the request of defendant and Chief of General Staff, Bakhytzhan Yertaev. Six of the MiGs were intercepted in Baku in March 1999, and Defence Minister, Mukhtar Altynbaev, together with National Security Committee Chairman, Nurtai Abykaev, were dismissed in August for their suspected role in the deal. In November 1999, Yertaev was named as a witness in the case. Semen Ginzburg, a lawyer for businessman, Aleksandr Petrenko, who is Yertayev's co-defendant, claimed that former Kazakh Prime Minister, Nurlan Balghymbaev, had approved the sale of the aircraft. In August, Balghymbaev insisted in Tokyo that the Kazakh government "had nothing to do" with the sale of the MiGs to North Korea. When the trial resumed on 10th January, Yertaev told journalists at a press conference that the charges against him had been exaggerated and that the case was being improperly rushed. He maintains his innocence, declaring that he was “only fulfilling government instructions and did his duty". Yertaev pointed the finger of blame firmly at the National Security Committee, for implementing government orders to sell the fighters. He further claimed that neither the General Staff, nor the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was culpable and regretted the absence in court of Altynbaev, despite an invitation to do so. Yertaev added that no witnesses had attended the trial on 10th January and that Petrenko had refused to give evidence on those grounds. He called on Nursultan Nazarbaev, President of Kazakhstan, to convene all the generals and to listen to their version of events, rather than the rumour-mongers, in order that the true picture emerged. Petrenko"s lawyer predicted that the trial would last some time. Associated articles: www.concise.org 26th August 1999, 7th July 1999, 2nd July 1999, 23rd March 1999

Article ID: 1298