DUSHANBE, March 3, 2014, Asia-Plus – The Dushanbe city court has upheld the verdict passed by a court in Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district against Ms. Mushtari Muborakshoyeva, the daughter-in-law of a high-profile Tajik diplomat.

“The Dushanbe city court has considered the appeal lodged by Ms. Mushtari Muborakshoyeva and decided to uphold the Shohmansour district court’s verdict against her,” the Dushanbe city court deputy chairperson, Fakhriddin Dadametov, told Asia-Plus in an interview on Monday.  Dadametov refrained from giving further details.

We will recall that the Shohmansour district court sentenced Ms. Muborakshoyeva to 12 ½ years in prison on January 31.  The sentence followed her conviction on the charge of drug trafficking.

Mushtari Muborakshoyeva was arrested at the Dushanbe airport on September 16 as she was traveling to Moscow with her husband, Qoimdod Qoimdodov.

Police said they discovered 2.5 kilograms of heroin inside the couple''s luggage.

Muborakshoyeva was detained immediately, but her husband was set free.

Qoimdodov is the son of Qozidavlat Qoimdodov, Tajikistan''s Ambassador to Belarus.

On September 17, the press center of the Customs Service under the Government of Tajikistan noted that that there are many ambiguities in this case and it is still unknown to whom the suitcase belongs.  Later, it has become known that only one suspect – the daughter-in-law of the ambassador -- is being held in the pretrial detention center.