MOSCOW. Nov 25 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry has dismissed rumors that Russian pilot Vladimir Sadovnichy was exchanged for a Tajik arrested in Russia, who is thought to be related to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.
"As regards Mr. Khukumov, we did not receive any requests for an exchange," Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Third CIS Department Maxim Peshkov told journalists on Friday.
Media allegations that Ruslan Khukumov, arrested in Russia, is a relative of the Tajik leader, are just rumors, he said.
"To be honest, I am not even certain that inmate Khukumov is in any way related to Mr. Rahmon," he said.
"The Foreign Ministry does not have information on whether he has been released," he said.
Earlier a number of media outlets said that the Russian aircraft were confiscated for a reason: the pilots were to be used in exchange for Tajik railway chief Amanullo Khukumov's son, who is jailed in Russia. According to some reports, his family is related to Tajik President Rahmon: the president's daughter is married to another son of the railway chief.
In 2008, a group of four men, including Khukumov, were arrested on charges of acquiring with intent to sell almost nine kilograms of heroin, media outlets said. In 2010, he was sentenced to ten years in prison.
On March 12, 2011, pilots of two Rolkan Investments Ltd An-72 aircraft, which were leased by Arabian Aerospace airline, were detained at the Kurgan-Tyube airport in Tajikistan.
The pilots returning from Afghanistan to Russia via Tajikistan were forced to land in Kurgan-Tyube even though they were denied permission. The pilots said that they had been given verbal permission to land before departure and they could not turn back for fear of running out of fuel.
One of the planes was carrying an aviation engine. The Tajik authorities regarded it as contraband while the pilots say it was a spare engine not meant for sale in Tajikistan.
The pilots were kept under house arrest until May 12. All aircrew but commanders Vladimir Sadovnichy (Russian national) and Alexei Rudenko (Estonian national) were released. The two were charged with smuggling, illegal border crossing and violating international air traffic rules.
On November 8, a Kurgan-Tyube court sentenced Sadovnichy and Rudenko to 8.5 years in prison and ordered seizure of the aircraft.
Russian authorities slammed the verdict, saying that they will not leave the issue unaddressed.
A lawyer for Sadovnichy and Rudenko appealed the verdict, and the pilots were released on November 22 in the courtroom. However, they were not cleared of the charges.