MOSCOW, February 4 - RAPSI. Witnesses in the case of former Colonel Yury Budanov's murder are afraid to attend the court hearings, Murad Musayev, the lawyer of the accused Yusup Temerkhanov, told the Moscow City Court on Monday.

He noted that he had not been able to reach his witness, Alexander Yevtukhov, despite his attempts. However, when the two finally did talk, Musayev said, Yevtukhov refused to turn up in court.

When the judge asked why the witness is afraid to attend the hearing, Musayev said he should ask him himself. Musayev also said the witness has been avoiding contact with his family.

Earlier, Yevtukhov disappeared under suspicious circumstances on his way to court. He later appeared in court to give testimony in the case, but refused to answer questions about his alleged kidnapping.

Yevtukhov testified that Musayev's client Yusup Temerkhanov did not look like the man who killed Budanov, and that the killer was a man of Slavic appearance who was shorter than Temerkhanov.

Yevtukhov also filed two complaints, claiming that the defendant's lawyers threatened him and that he had received 100,000 rubles ($3,300) from them. After his claim was filed, the court announced a recess until January 28.

The judge refused to summon the remaining witnesses to court and asked the defense to ensure their presence.

The defense seeks to interrogate four witnesses, including the driver who was supposed to pick Budanov up before his slaying, a mysterious witness named "Alan," Yevtukhov, and Budanov's widow.

The next hearing has been scheduled for February 5.

Investigators believe that Temerkhanov planned to commit a murder after his father was killed in Chechnya in 2000. They suspect that he picked Budanov as his victim because the colonel had been tried for kidnapping and murdering Chechen Elza Kungayeva in 2000. Budanov was convicted of war crimes in Chechnya in July 2003. 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, medals, and the opportunity to hold official positions for three years after his release.

In January 2009, he was released on parole. In June 2011, Budanov was shot dead as he walked out of a notary office in Moscow.