Verdict of Accused in PFPA Illegal Financing Case Read

Baku / 27.02.19 / Turan: The Baku Court of Grave Crimes read out the verdict of the accused in the case "On the illegal financing of the PFPA."

The court sentenced the former head of the Gadabey district executive authority, a citizen of the Russian Federation Saleh Rustamov to 7 years and 3 months in prison, a member of the Presidium of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Agil Maharramov - to 4 years, and the head of the PFPA Narimanov district department Babek Hasanov to 3 years in prison.

Rustamov"s nephew Vidadi Rustamli and the head of the Majlis of the PFPA youth committee Ruslan Nasirov were sentenced to 6 years and 8 months of conditional imprisonment with a three-year probation period. Both were released in the courtroom.

The verdict was preceded by concluding speeches by lawyers and the defendants themselves, who rejected all charges. The defenders asked for an acquittal.

The court did not postpone the pronouncement of the verdict and delivered the verdict today after quite a short discussion.

Earlier, the prosecutor offered to sentence Saleh Rustamov to 8 years, and Babek Hasanov and Aghil Maharramli to 7 years and 6 months of imprisonment each.

At the same time, the prosecutor asked for 3.5 years of imprisonment for Ruslan Nasirov and Vidadi Rustamli.

* On May 26, 2018, the country's Prosecutor General"s Office announced their arrest on charges of "illegal financing" of the PFPA. The arrested were accused of illegal business, criminal money laundering, etc.

PFPA denied unlawful funding. All those arrested were recognized by human rights activists as political prisoners.

During the trial, which has been lasting almost two months, the defendants spoke about the torture to which they were subjected in the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) of the MIA.

Human rights activists recognize all the five defendants in the case as political prisoners. -03D06--