Georgian court hears appeals linked to Russian uranium smuggling case

The investigation of Oleg Khinsagov, which involved both Georgian and CIA agents, caused widespread alarm over security at Russia's nuclear facilities.

Khinsagov was caught early last year trying to sell about 3.5 ounces (nearly 100 grams) of uranium enriched to about 90 percent U-235, suitable for use in an atomic bomb.

A Georgian court sentenced him to eight years in prison last July for smuggling, but his lawyer had vowed to appeal against the sentence.

The Tbilisi Court of Appeals held preliminary hearings on the appeals of three of the four Georgian men convicted of being accomplices of Khinsagov and sentenced to shorter prison terms, said prosecutor Keti Chomakhashvili. He said thy did not get to Khinsagov's case.

Defense lawyer Avtandil Zardiashvili said Khinsagov has consistently claimed he was carrying not uranium but "some kind of oxide for printing machines."

The case aggravated already-high tensions between Russia and Georgia, as Tbilisi accused Russia of dragging its feet in the investigation. Russia's foreign minister denounced the Russian man's detention as a "provocation."

Both countries have been at odds for years over the status of the two Georgian regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The Associated Press

/The International Herald Tribune/