Court Rejects Kyrgyz Politician's Appeal Against Fraud Conviction

A Bishkek court on May 6 rejected the appeal of Adakhan Madumarov, the leader of the United Kyrgyzstan opposition party, against his fraud conviction, saying it had been filed too late. In late March, a Bishkek court found him guilty of financial fraud and of ignoring Kyrgyzstan's interests while signing a Kyrgyz-Tajik border deal in 2009 when he led the country's Security Council. The court did not sentence Madumarov due to the statute of limitations but ordered him to remain in custody until the decision took force on April 26. Madumarov has called the accusations “ungrounded.” To read the original story on RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service, click here.