The Fourth Court of Appeal overturned the verdict issued against Zviad Ozmanian, a "thief-in-law" known in the criminal world as "Zviad Tbilisski." He had been sentenced to 11 years and 1 day in a special regime prison for being found guilty of holding the highest position in the criminal hierarchy.
Modern.az reports, citing lent.az, that the criminal case has been returned to the Nizhny Novgorod regional prosecutor due to a violation of territorial jurisdiction rules.
The case began before Zviad Ozmanian was brought to Nizhny Novgorod from the Orenburg prison. Prior to this, he had been held in correctional facilities in four other regions of Russia.
The convict did not admit guilt and stated that he renounced his criminal status in 2019. Although the verdict was overturned, he remained in custody.
It should be noted that in April, he was found guilty under Article 210.1 of the Russian Criminal Code - holding the highest position in the criminal hierarchy.
Zviad Ozmanian was declared a "thief-in-law" on February 11, 2013, in Moscow by Temuri Mirzoyev, Azerbaijani Vagif Suleymanov, Bakhish Aliyev, Gizo Kardava, and other criminal authorities. According to the prosecution, Zviad Tbilisski himself participated in the "coronation" ceremony of 15 other "thieves-in-law" in Turkey and Russia.
The Moscow Ministry of Internal Affairs also stated at one time that the criminal authority controlled ethnic criminal groups involved in robbery and theft in the capital.
During the court proceedings, he stated that he had renounced the "thief's crown" back in 2019 and that the criminal world was aware of this, including through information in the media.
The defendant claimed that a voluntary renunciation of criminal status under Article 210.1 of the Criminal Code provides grounds for his release from criminal liability. He also said that it was impossible for him to control other prisoners because he was held in single cells under special harsh conditions, with video surveillance and without means of communication.
Nevertheless, the court of first instance issued a guilty verdict, effectively recognizing his status as a "thief-in-law."
He was also deprived of the "thief" title a few years ago by friends of the late Azerbaijani "thief-in-law" Lotu "Guli." The reason for this was his alleged theft of money collected for the "common fund."
