Mafia boss walks free as key witnesses fall silent

[emad]

July 20, 2005

Mafia boss walks free as key witnesses fall silent
From Jeremy Page in Moscow



ONE of the most famous Russian mafia bosses has been released after being cleared of shooting dead two Turks and injuring another in an upmarket Moscow restaurant in 1992.

Vyacheslav Ivankov, who is known as Yaponchik (the Little Japanese) because of his Asian features and mastery of ju-jitsu, was put on trial behind closed doors to protect witnesses. But he was acquitted after the main prosecution witness — a former policeman — retracted his evidence and another five said that they had never seen him before in their lives.

Mr Ivankov, 65, began a career of racketeering, robbery and arms and drug smuggling as a member of the notoriously violent Mongol gang in the 1960s and spent more than ten years in Soviet jails. He left Russia for the US after the restaurant killings, but was deported last year after nearly ten years in prison there for extortion and arranging a fake marriage.

Russian prosecutors accused Mr Ivankov of shooting the Turks, who were served before him at the cloakroom of the Fedan restaurant. He denied being there at the time and only one of the thirteen witnesses identified him as the killer.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1700449,00.html

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

1. How do you say "Omertá" in Russian? (nt)

[htuttle]

2. For a moment, I thought they were talking about Rove