I went to finish

The main thing from reporters was nevertheless classified. They were kicked out of the courtroom, and they did not see how Igor Ivanovich entered the premises, a longtime friend of Alexei Valentinovich and his generous donor. How they saw each other and looked at each other. How many different wishes, and endlessly sincere, read in the eyes of the ex-Minister of Economic Development the chairman of the board of directors of Rosneft. And how he answered the questions of the participants in the court session, for more than an hour and a half, trying not to notice these eyes in order not to burn himself inadvertently.

Yes, and it would be strange if the reporters had not been expelled from the courtroom at that time, as long as the main evidence of the prosecution acted there. This was clearly a condition that a powerful official set our femid federal subordination, and she took under the visor. Otherwise, he would again, for the fifth time, did not respond to her invitation. And so - he came and did not hide from the public, why suddenly responded. “For me it was a matter of honor,” Igor Ivanovich said.

There were probably other reasons.

Firstly, President Putin, fundamentally supporting him a day before the first sentence to the ex-minister, scolded him slightly. Say, "Sichin could have come to court, what is there such and such? Could repeat everything that he set out during the preliminary investigation and interrogations." That's why I had to come.

Secondly, Igor Ivanovich is generally a bit of hierarchy issues. Some of the Zamoskvoretsky district court he must have considered a place not status enough for himself to spend time on it, another thing - the Moscow City Court. Here and the honor could be remembered.

Thirdly, he guessed what impression on everyone would make his coming. After all, starting from Ulyukaev’s lawyers, he expected that the state oligarch busy beyond measure, almost the second person in the country, was ecupably, through the convoy of either the judicial entrance, would penetrate the hearing. The effect of surprise as a good means to avoid too tricky issues was also taken into account, equally, and this pre -consideration of the consumption. In the atmosphere of GOSTYANA Igor Ivanovich usually feels at home, and the walls and walls help.

As a result, as the chronicle noted , after the departure of the head of the corporation “Everyone - lawyers, prosecutors, and judges, looked excited and evil,” and this meant that they managed to beg in, but Sechin did not work out properly.

Well, at the same time, fourthly, he undoubtedly wanted to control the course of the process. Suddenly come to the Moscow City Court - and finish off a friend, by the very fact of his appearance. And then, before, the defenders of Ulyukaev and some other citizens were surprised: they say that this is the court where the main witness of the prosecution was afraid to go, and it was a rather strong trump card.

Now, after the cavalry counterattack undertaken by the oilman, they had nothing to trump. Sechin came, saw, convicted. Yes, it is so successful that the verdict, which in such cases, the higher instance often softens in a year or two, was essentially left unchanged . Unless for some reason the court abolished the sentence of an additional punishment, allowing to work in the civil service again upon serving the deadline, at least even a minister. But this sounded, of course, as a uniform mockery. Igor Ivanovich, the fundamental of corruption fighters, who did not regret his old friend, could triumph.

But nevertheless, judging by the report of the Mediazons and our sensations, he experienced during the interrogation and unpleasant minutes. What we can judge from the speeches of lawyers, in which Sechin's fresh testimony was subjected to study. So, for example, he suddenly admitted that Ulyukaev could not, under any circumstances, influence the privatization of Bashneft, and it became incomprehensible for what works the minister demanded a bribe from him. And where he demanded.

Until now, this has been considered unclear, although Igor Ivanovich claimed that Alexey Valentinovich was blackmailing him, distracting from the game on the billiards during the Brix summit in Goa in the fall of 2016. In the Moscow City Court we heard another version. The head of Rosneft stated that the minister was pestering him on the stairs when they climbed the second floor, "in the process of movement." That is, in the presence of the crowd of other guests and the guard of Dereyakin, who was relentlessly followed his boss. In short, Igor Ivanovich was slightly confused in the testimony, and if the conversation continued longer, and even in open mode and in a normal court, it is difficult to say how the matter would end.

So for these more than one and a half hours the lawyers of the defendant and Ulyukaev himself forced him to be nervous, a man of honor. It was still a difficult test for the middle -aged, albeit strong in appearance of the leader: to stand and prove the unacceptable, and also to exchange glances with a friend in the cage. Here you will not want to, but you will sympathize with Sechin. However, if Alexei Valentinovich were recognized as innocent, and Igor Ivanovich after interrogation was considered a provocateur and slander and planted, then we would sympathize with him even more. But this can only be dreamed of this today.