MOSCOW, August 24 (RAPSI) – The Moscow District Military Court on Wednesday proceeded to jury selection in the criminal case over the murder of prominent opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday citing victims’ lawyer Vadim Prokhorov.

As reported earlier, the court has sent out invitations to 5,000 candidates for jury. However, only 59 individuals came to jury selection on Wednesday.

The court is to select 12 main and 6 reserve jurors.

At the end of June, Vladimir Markin, the Russia’s Investigative Committee official spokesperson, said that investigation into the case of Zaur Dadayev, Anzor Gubashev, Shadid Gubashev, Temerlan Eskerkhanov, and Khamzat Bakhayev who stand charged with a contract murder in the composition of an organized gang, and of illegal acquisition, transportation and possession of firearms, had been completed.

According to investigators, in late September 2014, Ruslan Mukhudinov, a former officer in the Chechen Interior Ministry, and some unnamed persons offered the five accused to murder Nemtsov for 15 million rubles ($231,600).

Nemtsov was murdered in central Moscow on the night of February 28. In the 1990s, the politician held a number of high-ranking posts in the Russian Government. In the 2000s, he joined the opposition.

Investigation into Mukhudinov, the alleged mastermind behind this high-profile murder, who has been on the international wanted list since 2015 and other unidentified persons, is still going on, the Committee spokesman noted.