Prosecutor Marina Semenenko pressed for life imprisonment for Rauf Arashukov, a former senator from the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, and for his father, Raul Arashukov, who previously advised the Gazprom Mezhregiongaz general director. They face charges of murder, involvement in a criminal group, and the embezzlement of particularly large sums.
During a discussion in the Moscow City Court building, the prosecutor proclaimed that the final sentence should be life imprisonment and a fine of 1 million rubles, with both men serving in a special regime colony. The same punishment was sought for Raul Arashukov.
On September 23, the jury found the Arashukovs and their alleged accomplices guilty on all counts. The jury concluded that Raul Arashukov organized the criminal society, and his son participated in its operations.
Other defendants in the case
In addition to the Arashukovs, four other defendants faced charges in the case.
Kazbek Bulatov, the former First Deputy Head of the Department of the Investigative Committee of the Karachay-Cech Republic, was recommended for a 24-year prison term in a strict regime, along with a 1 million ruble fine and the loss of the rank of major general.
Timur Betuganov, the former head of the republican anti-extremist center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was urged by the prosecutor to receive a similar sentence and to be stripped of the rank of colonel.
Andrey Filippov, a former investigator named by the prosecution in particularly important cases of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic Investigative Committee, faced a sentence of six years and eight months in a strict regime colony and deprivation of the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Guzer Khashukaev, the director of the Stavropol branch of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz, was advised to plead guilty and receive the lightest penalty of five years in a penal colony. The jury found him not guilty of joining a criminal society. In one September session, Betuganov’s sister assaulted him in the courtroom, claiming her brother had been slandered to shorten his sentence.
Depending on each defendant’s role and level of participation, charges included organizing and participating in a criminal society, murder for hire, and especially major embezzlement under the Russian Criminal Code.
heart of matter
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation completed its case against the Arashukovs and other members of the criminal organization in March 2021. RBC Kavkaz reported that more than 400 witnesses were questioned and over 200 forensic examinations were conducted during the investigation.
Investigators allege that in 2010 former senator Arashukov, acting on his father’s behalf, organized the murder of Aslan Zhukov, deputy head of the youth movement Adyghe-Khase, and Fral Shebzukhov, an adviser to the president. They also claim the attack on Zhukov’s witness occurred as the witnesses sought to expose the Arashukov clan’s intrigues. The murder weapon was a Toyota Camry.
According to investigators, the Arashukovs used security forces Bulatov and Betuganov to carry out orders, and both figures allegedly exceeded their authority. The inquiry also accuses Arashukov Sr. of forming a criminal group and facilitating gas theft exceeding 4.4 billion rubles. Finally, investigators contend that the elder Arashukov falsely claimed that Khashukaev had been tortured by law enforcement.
Detention and arrest
The Arashukovs were detained in January 2019, with the former senator being arrested during a Federation Council meeting. They pleaded not guilty and described the case as a political order. They later suggested that Vyacheslav Derev, a former senator from Karachay-Cherkessia, and Kazimir Botashev, a former regional interior minister, were initiators of the order.
Rauf Arashukov argued that the state prosecutor had not revealed what the murdered Aslan Zhukov might know that could threaten the Arashukovs. He claimed Zhukov had no involvement in gas theft and that Shebzukhov, a family friend, benefited from his family’s leadership role in the republic.
Earlier, the Basmanny Court seized assets of the Arashukovs totaling about 1.3 billion rubles for the state. Most assets were listed under relatives, personal drivers, and security personnel. Investigators also seized more than 90 cars connected to the former senator’s family, including Porsche, Lexus, and Mercedes models.