In Praia, the capital of the small Atlantic state of Cape Verde, a trial of 11 Russian sailors from the ESER ship started this week, on board of which the country's authorities found 9.57 tons of cocaine about a year ago. Initially, 12 Russians were detained, but one of them, Sergei Zhivotov, despite being transferred from prison to a regular hospital, died in mid-January 2020 after a long illness.
Sailors, according to the Russian embassy in Cape Verde, have been charged with drug smuggling and participation in an organized criminal community.
“The protection of citizens of the Russian Federation is carried out by a local lawyer, hired by the Russian side,” the statement said.
Recall that the ship sailing from Panama to Moroccan Tangier should not have stopped in Cape Verde at all, but an emergency occurred during the voyage - one of the crew members died. To send the body to his homeland and to comply with all the formalities, the captain of the ESER sailing under the Panamanian flag decided to call at the nearest port, Praia.
Upon arrival, January 31, 2019, the ship was inspected.
In the hold, local security officials found 260 bags of cocaine with an estimated cost of approximately $ 1.5 billion. Later it became known that information about the cargo was provided to local authorities in MAOC, the joint center of several European countries, which coordinates their efforts to combat drug trafficking.
From the very beginning, the detainees categorically denied their guilt in conspiring with the owners of the vessel and cargo, saying that they did not know about the contents of the bags.
Throughout the entire period of detention of Russians, representatives of the Russian Embassy regularly visited, noting that the sailors were kept in normal conditions, and access to them was possible at any time.
State Duma deputy Alexei Weller monitors the fate of the detained Russians. Earlier, he personally visited them in Cape Verde, helping to resolve various issues, including financial ones. In an interview with RT, Weller talked about what is happening with the Russians and what are their prospects in the ongoing lawsuit.
The parliamentarian believes that it is difficult to challenge the allegation of drug smuggling, so the defense will focus on another, more serious accusation of participation in an organized criminal community. If the court finds the Russians guilty under this article, then they face a long prison term.
“The transport of drugs, whether voluntary or involuntary, is an established fact. Therefore, the main advocacy strategy that we jointly developed is to “discourage” their participation in an organized criminal community, which, I’m absolutely sure, really wasn’t. The lawyer is optimistic, he believes that he will succeed. It remains to have a little patience and hope for him, ”said Weller, noting that the local defense attorney is a fairly experienced lawyer.
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The deputy suggested that the trial of sailors may take several weeks.
“Of course, no one knows the exact dates, but, compared with Russia, everything goes quite tightly for them,” the deputy noted.
Weller said that, according to the Russians themselves, the loading of bags was carried out in the open sea from two boats.
“A third boat was standing nearby, it did not come close, but, according to our sailors, there were armed people. The cargo was unloaded onto the deck, then the team dragged these bags into the hold. In the accompanying documents, of course, there was no talk of any cocaine. Two ship owners, a Spaniard and a Mexican, are installed. They have been put on the international wanted list by the authorities of Cape Verde, ”he said.
Weller positively described the work of Russian diplomats in Cape Verde.
“I would rate their work on the top five because they went far beyond their official duties. My task was to provide funding for this process from Russia and to give this issue political significance both here and in Cape Verde. But I am very grateful to both the ambassador and the consular officers who regularly visited the sailors. We organized additional meals, and the exchange of letters, and the exchange of documents, and direct contact with relatives. So I can only say warm words to them, ”he said.
Weller also told RT that the fate of sailors was discussed in Moscow last year at a meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his colleague from Cape Verde, Luis Filippe Tavares. In particular, the question was raised that after the trial the Russians would be able to serve their sentences at home.
“There is no corresponding bilateral treaty between Russia and Cape Verde, but there is an international convention that gives us grounds to raise the issue of extradition of sailors after sentencing. I think in this direction we will continue to move. This position, including the Russian Foreign Ministry. We will wait for the court decision and decide on further steps, ”he summed up.
The sister of one of the sailors detained in Cape Verde told RT that the relatives did not have any additional information about what was happening in Cape Verde.
“I learned about the beginning of the trial from the media. My brother and I last talked for a long time. Now we are just waiting for how it will end. Of course, we do not believe in their guilt. The guys went on a regular flight, like many sailors in Murmansk, ”she said.