A Melbourne man has lost his attempt to have the final charge against him thrown out for good. On 24 July 2026, a judge at the Supreme Court of Victoria ruled that prosecutors were allowed to bring a new charge against Marat Ganiev, 55, in connection with the death of 19-year-old Isla Bell (The Guardian).

Police alleged that Ganiev killed Bell at his home in St Kilda, in Melbourne, on or around 7 October 2024. Bell's remains were found weeks later, on 20 November 2024, in a bag at a rubbish tip in Dandenong. News.com.au has reported that Ganiev is accused of hiding Bell's body in a fridge (News.com.au).

The charges against Ganiev have changed several times. He was first charged with murder. That was later reduced to manslaughter, which is a less serious charge that does not require proving the person intended to kill. Then, in May 2026, even that charge was dropped entirely — just one week before his trial was set to begin. Prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence. After dropping the manslaughter charge, they charged Ganiev with a different offence: attempting to pervert the course of justice, which means allegedly trying to interfere with the legal process (The Guardian).

Ganiev asked the court to permanently stop that new charge from going ahead. This kind of request is called a "permanent stay." His lawyer argued that prosecutors bringing a new charge was unfair and an abuse of the legal system. The judge, Justice James Elliott, disagreed. He ruled on 24 July 2026 that prosecutors were allowed to file new charges. The court's schedule for that day listed Ganiev's case as "For Ruling" before Justice Elliott at 9:15 AM, in Court 15 at 210 William Street, Melbourne (Supreme Court of Victoria).

Justice Elliott explained that requests to permanently stop a case rarely succeed. He said the court's main job is to make sure its own processes are fair, not to second-guess prosecutors' decisions. He also noted that a new prosecutor had taken over the case and formed a different view of the evidence, and that prosecutors always have a duty to review whether their case still holds up (The Guardian).

Ganiev watched the hearing by video link. He will go back to court in August 2026 for what is called a "directions hearing." That is a short court appearance where the judge sets dates and rules for the next steps in the case. It does not decide guilt or innocence.

Another person connected to the case, Eyal Yaffe, 59, was originally charged with helping an offender and trying to interfere with the legal process. Both of those charges were dropped, and Yaffe was released on 12 May 2026 (The Guardian).

Bell's mother, Justine Spokes, has spoken out against the prosecutors. On 14 July 2026, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that she stood outside the court and called the Office of Public Prosecutions the "Office of Perpetrator Protection," saying prosecutors were failing victims of crime (Sydney Morning Herald). She spoke to reporters again outside court after the 24 July ruling (The Guardian).

The broader picture here is that this case shows how a prosecution can shift based on how prosecutors assess the evidence, not necessarily because new facts come to light. The original murder charge was dropped just a week before trial, which suggests that after preparing the case, the prosecution decided the evidence was not strong enough. The judge pointed out that a different prosecutor looked at the same evidence and reached a different conclusion. The shift from a killing charge to one about interfering with the legal process suggests prosecutors may have decided they could not prove Ganiev caused Bell's death, but believed they could still pursue him for what he allegedly did afterwards.

The ruling also confirms something important about how courts work in Victoria. Judges are very reluctant to permanently stop a case before trial. Justice Elliott said the court's focus is on keeping the justice system itself fair, not on reviewing every decision a prosecutor makes — as long as those decisions are within the law. The case will return to court in August to set a timeline for the trial on the remaining charge.