KHUJAND, June 10, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Two top managers of Khujand-based independent Uzbek-language newspaper, Tong (Morning), have been found not guilty on the charge of embezzling a grant provided by international organization, however, they have been convicted of forgery of documents.

In a ruling handed down yesterday at the Khujand city court, Justice Ismoiljon Rahmatov found Mr. Poulod Umarov, editor-in-chief of Tong , and Ms. Surayo Umarova, a chief accountant with Tong , not guilty on the charge of embezzling a 44,075.50 somoni grant provided to the newspaper by the National Endowment For Democracy (NED).  However, they were convicted of forgery of documents.

We will recall that the trail of Poulod Umarov and Surayo Umarova and Khujand entrepreneur Dado Qosimov began on June 1 and they faced charges of misappropriation of means of foreign aid funds (Article 257) and document forgery (Article 340).

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Justice Rahmatov said that Poulod Umarov and Surayo Umarova had been found not guilty on the charge of embezzling the NED grant.  “However, all three defendants were convicted of forgery of documents,” the judge said.

Poulod Umarov got a jail term of two year and six months while Surayo Umarova and Dado Qosimov were sentenced to two years of probation each.

Criminal proceedings against the mentioned persons have been instituted following application by Maqsoud Khudoiberdiyev, the founder of Tong .  In his application, Khudoiberdiyev said that Poulod Umarov and Surayo Umarova had forged documents and embezzled a 44,075.50 somoni grant provided to the newspaper by NED.