“Something is wrong with the jury”: oddities of the verdict to the ex-governor Furgal

The more terrible the accusation, the more responsibility lies with Themis. Any doubts are interpreted in favor of the defendant (which, for your information, is spelled out in the Code of Criminal Procedure). If the accusation is based on an unconvincing evidence base, then public confidence in the very institution of justice is undermined. Exactly this seems to have happened after the verdict was passed on the ex-governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, Sergei Furgal.

“Guilty on all counts, does not deserve leniency,” said the foreman of the jury on Thursday, February 2.

“Ashamed! Raise your eyes, shame on you! You are crazy,” Furgal reacted emotionally.

Sergei Ivanovich believed to the last that he would be acquitted. He believed so strongly that he could not even allow a turn like this.

The defense side suggests that the jurors were subjected to pressure. But it is almost impossible to prove this (unless, after some time, one of the people’s assessors tells about it himself). How intelligence officers can put pressure on sworn members – we have talked about this more than once. But even if we discard this version, another one appears: the jury firmly believed the prosecution, which told them that it represented the state. And then the presiding judge did not allow almost any of the defense witnesses to be interviewed and did not allow many proofs of innocence to be presented (they remained unexamined).

“Something is wrong with the jury, since they were all looking at the floor,” said one of the fellow journalists present at the trial.

But to a large extent, “something is not right” with the institution of justice itself, since it could not convince a huge number of people of Furgal’s guilt. And they wrote and continue to write that the trial was unfair and Furgal was simply massacred. “They were executed. Cruel and uncompromising,” one of the defenders said in the hearts.

Regarding the reasons for such an “execution”, there are several components at once that Furgal spoke about. Firstly, economic (during the investigation, the owners of the Amur-Stal plant changed and 14 enterprises that worked for it were stopped). Second, political. As they say, they could not forgive him for popular popularity. By the way, he himself once mentioned that he was required to testify against Vladimir Zhirinovsky. “I am not a traitor,” Furgal replied.

But back to the accusation. It is based largely on the testimony in the past of Furgal’s companion Nikolai Mistryukov. He gave them after he was convinced at Lefortovo that he had a fatal disease. At the same time, he was not provided with medical assistance. Being sure that he is dying, any person (with the rarest exception) will make a deal with the investigation.

On the eve of the verdict, a video of Mistryukov’s interrogation appeared on the network, which speaks more of Furgal’s innocence than vice versa. On it, Mistryukov actually admits that he does not remember anything and speaks as the investigation needs.

The main principle of justice is that any doubt is interpreted in favor of the accused. The video sows a lot of doubt. After watching it, how can people believe in justice, which, in spite of everything, found Furgal guilty?

This story reminded me of another. A few years ago, a video of the interrogation of Sochi policeman Ilya Galkin, accused of blowing up, appeared on YouTube. In the video, he is being beaten. And here is a piece of dialogue. “Do you want to be broken again? Didn’t it seem enough to you?”

“No, I’m not enough,” Galkin replies. – You do not hang me theft, you want ten murders for me. Is it possible? Who do you want me to be?”

“You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I feel sorry for you to some extent. But understand: neither you, nor even me, have a choice. You will work together, you will become an accomplice. And if you will (obscene), you will go as an organizer.

The defense side proved the authenticity of the video. And do you know what happened? Galkin was still sentenced to life in prison.

Same with Furgal. After Mistryukov’s video, he was still found guilty. And in this case, not even he suffered as much as the judiciary. Yes, yes, when faith in justice is undermined, people stop hoping for a court as a guarantor of their freedoms and justice. Who needed it now, in such a difficult period for the country?