28 June 2008
American lawyer Zeltser denying guilt, defense counsel says
Emanuel Zeltser is denying his guilt, Dzmitry Haracka, the defense counsel for the American lawyer who has been held in custody in Minsk since March, told BelaPAN.
On Friday, the Committee for State Security (KGB) said that it had brought formal charges against Mr. Zeltser and his secretary Vladlena Funk.
The pair are to answer charges of business espionage and the use of knowingly fake documents, according to the KGB's statement. Mr. Zeltser also is facing a charge of smuggling illegal drugs into Belarus.
"I cannot comment on the charges brought against my client because I was warned against disclosing the material of investigation," Mr. Harachka said. "But I can say that we were prepared for such a development. In particular, we expected that new charges would be brought against Zeltser, and this new charge, business espionage, really appeared."
Mr. Harachka said that his client and he would start studying the case material on June 30. "The new charge against Zeltser will not affect the proceedings," he said.
Mr. Zeltser and his secretary were charged with using fake documents when they were arrested upon their arrival in Minsk on March 12.
On May 27, Mr. Zeltser was charged with drug smuggling over medications that he brought into Belarus.
Mark Zeltser, the brother of the US lawyer, claims that self-exiled Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky orchestrated the arrest of Mr. Zeltser over the assets of the late Georgian billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili. When Mr. Patarkatsishvili died, his assets became the subject of a dispute pitting the widow backed by Mr. Berezovsky, against his step cousin, Joseph Kay, who is represented by Mr. Zeltser.
The KGB said in the Friday statement that it also instituted criminal proceedings against Mr. Kay under the Criminal Code's article that penalizes business espionage.
On May 14, the Tbilisi City Court in Georgia recognized Joseph Kay as a legitimate executor of the late Georgian billionaire’s assets.
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