DUSHANBE, September 11, 2009, Asia-Plus –  Junior Sergeant Dmitry Kuchma and Junior Sergeant Vyacheslav Chernov serving in the Russian military base in Tajikistan on contractual basis that were arrested on September 9 on suspicion of having killed a tax driver in Dushanbe may be transferred to the Russian side for further investigation and passing of sentence, Russia’s news agency Itar Tass reported on September  11, referring to Tajik Prosecutor-General Bobojon Bobokhonov.

“Under the agreement between prosecutor’s offices of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation, Russian servicemen committing crime outside military units may be transferred to the Russian investigation bodies at their request,” Tajik chief prosecutor said.

He added that such practice applied to servicemen of other foreign countries as well, Itar Tass said.

According to the Ministry of Interior of Tajikistan,  both servicemen have confessed to the murder of the taxi driver who was bringing them to the Tajik southern city Qurghon Teppa,