Twenty Jews are among the 32 persons who have been arrested in the case against the members of the cooperative industrial credit bank “Selbstatekite,” whose trial is the sensation of the day. Among the arrested Jews is the 68-year old famous Jewish lawyer, Liev Bisk. For a number of years he was chairman of the cooperative which was created for Jewish artisans, but he resigned last year in view of his conflict with other members of the executive.
Bisk is now accused of negligence in his duties, bad management, and ignoring the policy of the Soviet cooperatives in supporting the wealthy artisans and not granting credits to the poor artisans. Six other members of the cooperative’s executive are charged with accepting bribes from artisans who were shown special favors. Twenty-two artisans, including ten of the Jewish accused, are charged with giving bribes and other illegal transactions with members of the executive who now face serious punishment.
Eight of the best lawyers in Moscow are appearing for the accused. Their trial is expected to last a full week.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
