Chechen murder suspect's trial in Dubai unlikely despite treaty

Dubai: Despite Dubai's implication of the Chechen deputy prime minister's involvement in the Sulim Yamadayev assassination here last month, it could be a long time before Adam Delimkhanov is tried in court, let alone a Dubai court - if he is tried at all.

The situation is complicated for the UAE. While there is an extradition treaty between the UAE and Russia, not many observers are pinning hope on seeing Delimkhanov in a Dubai court, especially considering Russia's responses to such requests from other countries previously.

That coupled with the lack of cooperation between Dubai and Russia on the case could be a major hurdle in bringing the masterminds of the assassination to justice, according to observers.

Perhaps a bigger hurdle domestically in Russia is Moscow's relationship with Delimkhanov, and by extension its relationship with his cousin and president of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Delimkhanov enjoys parliamentary immunity as Chechnya's representative in Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, and is the right-hand man of Kadyrov, reportedly tipped as his successor in Chechnya.

Any move against Del-imkhanov could put the Kremlin in direct confrontation with Kadyrov, which according to John Russell, a Chechnya expert at the UK's Bradford University, Moscow wants to avoid.

The Chechen leader has managed to maintain a strict pro-Moscow rule in a united Chechnya which has won him favour in the Kremlin. That is thought to be the reason for Kadyrov's over confidence and assumed immunity from Moscow's wrath in carrying out his alleged authoritarian activities.

Ivan Sukhov, a Russian Chechnya expert, says: "Kadyrov wishes to be the Chechen national leader and the unique friend of Moscow in the Chechen Republic, therefore he tries to block any alternative communications with Moscow in Chechnya".

According to Russell, there is no Chechen leader who could unite the Chechen people into prolonging a pro-Russian policy the way Kadyrov has.

"Were he to be removed, Russia would face the dilemma of replacing him with a non-Chechen or allowing Chechnya to fall apart into warlord-run enclaves," he says.

The Yamadayev assassination in Dubai could however be considered by Moscow as one step too far for Kadyrov. Yamadayev was an influential and decorated pro-Moscow commander, who served the Kremlin's interests in Chechnya.

According to Russell, Moscow might need to save face with the international community with the increasingly embarrassing assassinations thought to have been carried out by its subjects.

Delimkhanov, he says, would be the "ideal sacrificial lamb" if Moscow decides to send Kadyrov a message.

"The existence of a hit list reputedly of 300 Chechens that Kadyrov wants killed is bound to embarrass the Russian President, especially after his new-found rapport with US President Barack Obama".

Sukhov says however that Yamadayev's assassination could also be in the interest of top officials in Moscow who want to discredit Kadyrov. "Despite Yamadayev being Kadyrov's enemy, his death is likely to bring him more problems than benefits," he says.

Russia has vehemently defended and refused to extradite citizens wanted for crimes committed abroad.

The most prominent case was its refusal to extradite to the UK a suspect for the poisoning of rogue Russian intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko.

In a case closer to home in 2004, Qatar jailed two Russian agents for the murder of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, a separatist Chechen politician. The prisoners were transferred to Russia in 2006 with the understanding that their sentences would be carried out there, but have reportedly been set free.

Russell says the Dubai case should be no different.