Navalny Moves to Exclude Wiretap Evidence

Opposition activist and blogger Alexei Navalny’s attorneys moved at his hearing on Wednesday to exclude evidence acquired via wiretap records from the Kirovles embezzlement case. Referring to the wiretapping of Navalny and fellow defendant Pyotr Ofitserov, Navalny’s attorney Olga Mikhailova stressed that the taped phone conversations were obtained illegally and therefore should not be used as evidence in the case. Included in the motion was a request directed at Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) to reveal the grounds upon which the wiretapping took place and also to specify who transcribed them. Presiding judge Sergei Blinov said the request will be considered after the written testimonies are examined. According to the investigators, Navalny organized the theft of over 10,000 cubic meters of timber while serving as a voluntary adviser to the governor of the Kirov Region.

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