The case of former State Fiscal Service head Roman Nasirov continues to face delays — his speech in the closing arguments has stretched over several hearings in a row, and once again a hearing was postponed due to his defense lawyer’s absence.
On August 26, Nasirov again asked to adjourn the hearing because of his lawyer’s absence. The judge responded that the proceedings could continue without the lawyer and therefore denied the request, giving Nasirov the opportunity to carry on with his speech. However, Nasirov objected.
Earlier, at Nasirov’s request, the court had postponed several hearings. He had promised that his lawyer would be present for the continuation of his speech. Indeed, on August 25 the lawyer did attend, but the following day he again failed to appear. The court described this as an abuse and deemed the reasons for the lawyer’s absence unconvincing. Nasirov disputed this assessment, arguing that the lawyer had been present on August 25, and that his absence on the 26th was due to participation in another case.
Ultimately, the court announced a one-hour recess for Nasirov to coordinate his position with his lawyer and then continue his speech. Yet even after the break, Nasirov insisted on adjourning until his lawyer arrived. After another break, he maintained the same position, saying that part of his speech had not yet been coordinated with his lawyer and he could not continue without him.
According to the judge, Nasirov had sufficient time, and such claims amounted to manipulation. Nevertheless, the judge closed the hearing, adjourning it until September 2, and instructed Nasirov to finalize his speech with his lawyer by then. Otherwise, the court would consider that Nasirov had exercised his right to deliver his speech in the debates