He Came to Korea to Study and Spent 16 Years in Prison as a “Taxi Driver Killer” ... Retrial to Begin 17 Years Later

[Financial News] On the 15th, a court ordered a retrial and suspended the execution of the sentence for Akmal Bozorov, 37, an Uzbek national who was sentenced to life in prison for allegedly murdering a taxi driver in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2009. As a result, Akmal left prison about 17 years after being incarcerated.
At around 6:35 p.m. that day, Akmal walked out of Changwon Prison in tears and reunited with his father, who was waiting at the prison’s main gate. “I’ve lived with this injustice for so long, but at the same time, I feel truly sorry that the victims’ families seem to be suffering great harm,” he said. “I’ll speak truthfully during the remaining court proceedings.”
Concerned that the victim’s family had been distressed by having to revisit painful memories during the proceedings to determine whether to grant a retrial, Akmal said of the court’s decision, “All I could do was cry,” and added, “It still doesn’t feel real that I’m out after all this time.”
He went on to say, “I want to see the retrial through, clear my name of all the wrongful accusations, and return as soon as possible to my hometown, where my parents are,” adding, “I’m also grateful to attorney Park Jun-young for helping me.” That day, he visited the victim’s family to pay his respects and then began preparing in earnest for the retrial.
In March 2009, Akmal was accused of killing a taxi driver in his 50s and stealing valuables in Myeongseo-dong, Uichang-gu, Changwon. The following year, the Supreme Court issued its final ruling in the case, which involved charges including robbery-murder. He had come to South Korea as an international student. In July 2009, he was arrested in Changwon on suspicion of robbing a taxi driver and was later named as a suspect in the taxi driver’s robbery-murder.
He later petitioned for a retrial, but his request was denied. In January last year, he submitted another petition to the court through attorney Park Jun-young, who mainly handles retrial cases.
The court found that, during the investigation, police officers had deceived Akmal in an effort to elicit a confession, telling him that the defendant’s DNA had been found at the crime scene or that the deceased victim was still alive. It also ruled that his right to an interpreter had been violated. On the 15th, the court ordered a retrial and suspended the execution of his sentence.
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