“What are you afraid of the truth”: ex-governor Furgal made the last word
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The last word at the trial is the brightest and most memorable moment of the whole process. Some prepare for it from the moment the case goes to trial. Having the last word is not an obligation, but a right. People who insist on their innocence almost always take the opportunity to say the most important thing to Themis before a verdict is issued. So at this moment, almost everything (except insults) is allowed – to read poetry, sing, cry, beg … The ex-governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, Sergei Furgal, refused to prepare for his last word. He told his lawyers that he would say what was in his heart. As a result, turning to the jurors, Furgal asked not to take sin on his soul and not to recognize the innocent as guilty.
Hall No. 501 of the Moscow Regional Court on Monday, January 30, 2023, turned into a battlefield. On this day, a debate was held here on the case of the ex-governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, Sergei Furgal. At some point, due to the heat of passion, they asked to remove all journalists. Furgal had never been so emotional and at some point switched to screaming. But it was the cry of the soul: “I am innocent! I don’t want my name to be smeared in the dirt!”
Lawyers tried to persuade Furgal to behave calmly. But he (maybe for the first time) did not succeed. The ex-governor spoke about Mistyukov, the man on whose testimony the prosecution is based. Here is a fragment from the skirmish between Furgal and the presiding judge:
Furgal: “Mistryukov, thinking that he had cancer, slandered me and others. He is at large, no one is judging him, he was paid 350 million rubles.”
Judge Tsoi: “If you don’t stop now, I will be forced to take your word away.”
Furgal: “Why are you so afraid of the truth?”
Judge Tsoi: “Mr. Furgal, I announce you a reprimand for failure to comply with the requirements of the presiding judge!”
Furgal: “My fault lies in the fact that I tried to change the system for the better, my fault is that I dared to be elected in spite of…”
Judge Tsoi: “This is not election campaigning, and this is a direct impact on the jury.”
Furgal: “I am innocent, I am not involved. I don’t want my name to be smeared in the dirt. I have children, I have grandchildren. If you want to imprison Furgal, well, come up with at least something!”
Then Furgal will apologize for his emotionality, explaining it by the fact that he has been sitting for too long. The essence of the skirmish between Furgal and the judge boiled down to the fact that he referred to the evidence of innocence, which the judge called unexamined, and therefore inadmissible.
Every now and then the prosecutor was involved in a loud discussion, accusing the defense of “constant emotional pressure on the jury.”
However, the next meeting, which took place on February 1, became even more expressive. Furgal’s last word was heard on it. We publish quotes from it:
How many witnesses were there for the defense? I can say how many were declared – more than 100 people. And there were two.
– Judges, so I just imagined myself in your place (and I went through a big school of life and made very serious decisions). But what lies ahead for you is much more serious. It depends on your decision whether justice will be restored. And then you have to live with it.
– What did the prosecutors say at the first meeting? “We represent the state.” And then they fooled you. Prosecutors have never represented the state. Prosecutors represent the prosecutor’s office, where a decision in favor of the defendants is a flaw in their work, leading to very serious consequences. And then they seem to say: “Believe us, since we represent the state, believe.”
– No one forbids me to say that when I became governor, I was warned that if I did not take certain actions, they would put me in jail.
– I ask you, jurors, to acquit me and let other innocent people breathe. After all, what a sin it is to punish people unproved. I am not a strong Christian, but still I understand that it is a sin.
At the very end of his speech, Furgal made a gesture with his hands, in which one could read both despair and hope at the same time.
Newspaper headline:
Furgal reminded the jury of sin
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