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Trial of American lawyer Zeltser may last two weeks, defense counsel says

The trial of American lawyer Emanuel Zeltser and his secretary, Vladlena Funk, may last for up to two weeks, the pair's defense counsel, Dzmitry Harachka, told BelaPAN.

According to him, the trial has been held in accordance with the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code. The closed-door trial of Mr. Zeltser and Ms. Funk (Bruskova), a citizen of Russia, began on July 30. They have been held in custody in Minsk since this past March.

Neither relatives nor American and Russian diplomats are allowed to attend the hearing, which is taking place in the Minsk City Court.

Mr. Zeltser and Ms. Funk are facing charges of business espionage and the use of “knowingly false official documents.” The man also is to answer a charge of smuggling illegal drugs into Belarus. The pair deny their guilt.

Mr. Zeltser and his secretary were charged with using fake documents when they were arrested upon their arrival in Minsk on March 12.

On May 27, Mr. Zeltser was charged with drug smuggling over medications that he brought into Belarus.

If found guilty as charged, Mr. Zeltser may be sentenced to seven years in prison and Ms. Fund to three years.

Mr. Harachka said that the operative part of the sentence might be open to the public, but the sentence might be pronounced behind closed doors.

The American lawyer's brother, Mark Zeltser, told that he was still very concerned that the brother was not given vital drugs, while the medicines given to him could be harmful to his health.

Mark Zeltser claims that self-exiled Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky orchestrated the arrest of Mr. Zeltser over the assets of the late Georgian billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili. When Mr. Patarkatsishvili died, his assets became the subject of a dispute pitting the widow backed by Mr. Berezovsky, against his step cousin, Joseph Kay, who was represented by Mr. Zeltser.

On May 14, the Tbilisi City Court in Georgia recognized Joseph Kay as a legitimate executor of the late Georgian billionaire’s assets.