US lawyer Zeltser preparing for transfer to penal colony

US citizen Emanuel Zeltser, convicted in Belarus, was transferred from the KGB detention center to pretrial detention center #1 in Valadarski Street of Minsk.

Lawyer of Emanuel Zeltser Zmitser Harachka told it to Interfax.

“E. Zeltser is being prepared for transfer to a penal colony. He was transferred from the KGB detention center to pretrial detention center #1 in Valadarski Street of Minsk,” Z. Harachka said.

“Vladlena funk (E. Zeltser’s secretary, convicted with him – IF) was also transferred to the jail in Valadarski Street,” the lawyer added.

“They will most likely be escorted to penal colonies in the nearest time. There is no information where my client will serve their terms. The Department of Punishment of the Ministry of Internal Affaires of Belarus wil say it soon,” he noted.

As it was informed earlier, on August 11, 2008 E. Zeltser was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment in standard regime penal colony by Minsk city court for attempted industrial espionage and the use of fake documents.

Russian citizen Vladlena Funk, his secretary, got one year of imprisonment for commercial intelligence and use of fake documents.

The Supreme Court of Belarus upheld this judgement last Friday.

E. Zeltser and V. Funk were detained in Minsk on March 12, 2008 and put in the KGB jail.

Some media supposed that E. Zeltser’s arrest is connected with a case a dispute over the estate of businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, died in London.

E. Zeltser is a former Soviet emigrant, an expert in combating organised crime and money laundering in Russia and former Soviet states.