MOSCOW, January 10 - RAPSI. The Moscow City Court has refused to disclose the details of a secret witness in the case of former Colonel Yuri Budanov, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) today.

Thus the court has dismissed the appeal by attorney Murad Musayev. The lawyer said that a secret witness, known by the pseudonym Alan, had failed to attend the court twice, hence the attorneys need his personal details so as to ensure that he appears before the court.

"This does not represent any danger for Alan, if he actually exists. There is no threat to the witnesses, not from my client, at least," he said.

Musayev believe that investigators classified a number of witnesses without any real grounds. "The investigators just want to create an ominous atmosphere of secrecy over the case," the attorney said.

Musayev said that "Alan" was questioned one day before the official detention of defendant Yusup Temerkhanov. He identified him as an individual who was sitting in a car at the crime scene after Budanovs murder. Initially it was the investigators' only proof of his involvement in the crime.

Temerkhanovs defense planned to interrogate the witness, because during the investigation it was he who accused the defendant of Budanov's murder. In this regard, the witness was taken under state protection, and his identity was classified. He did not attend the first hearing, therefore the court called him in once again.

Budanov was shot dead in June 2011 as he walked out of a notary office in central Moscow.

Prosecutors believe Temerkhanov decided to commit murder after his father was killed in Chechnya in 2000 after a conflict with Russian soldiers. He allegedly decided on Budanov as his future victim, as he was widely known for kidnapping and murdering Chechen Elza Kungayeva in 2000.

Temerkhanov's attorney has also stated that two of the six witnesses who allegedly saw the murder have been found and have agreed to testify in court.

The defense also plans to question Budanov's widow, who was at the scene when her husband was killed.

In July 2003, Budanov was convicted of war crimes in Chechnya. A military court found him guilty of abuse of power in connection with Kungayeva's kidnapping and murder. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and deprived of his rank, state awards and the opportunity to hold official positions for three years after his release. In January 2009, he was released on parole.