Munich - The alleged kingpin of the main Russian organized-crime family in Germany's Bavaria state went on trial Friday. Lawyers for the alleged mobsters showered the court with motions to stop the trial. Security at the Munich courthouse was strict.
The defendant, 39, was indicted with running a criminal organization.
Two alleged mafia lieutenants, aged 31 and 30, are accused of being members of the crime syndicate, which allegedly ran protection rackets, trafficked drugs and spread counterfeit money in the prosperous state starting in 2001.
Before the indictment was read, one lawyer stood up and demanded an adjournment. He said he had not been given enough time to read the court papers and he suspected police had withheld some documents.
Another lawyer moved to have the judges removed on the grounds of bias. He said this was because they had not taken account of his diary when setting the trial date.
The court has scheduled hearing dates until January 8, 2009.
