Bakhtiyar Hajiyev demanded to exclude falsified documents from his case

The trial of Bakhtiyar Hajiyev's case continued today in the Baku Serious Crimes Court. During the session the activist made a number of petitions.

He again asked to exclude from the case materials an e-mail to the Interior Ministry about his alleged ‘criminal activity’.

According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, sealed documents or certified copies are subject to investigation.

Besides, the investigator refers to some foreign documents for translation, for which translators were hired. However, the translators were hired 20 days before the documents appeared.  According to Hajiyev, this is an evidence of falsifications. For this reason, he suggested that the said documents be excluded from the list of evidence.

Hajiyev also pointed to the incorrect calculation of the tax debt to him and proposed to summon the experts who had calculated the debt to the court.

Hajiyev expressed his readiness to provide the documents of interest to the tax service, but for this purpose it is necessary to change his restraints.

In addition, he pointed out that some parts of the charges were not clear to him at all.  Therefore, he requested to drop the charges of ‘smuggling’ and ‘forgery of documents’, as the investigation did not substantiate these charges.

He has not been to Georgia for the last 2 years, from where he allegedly smuggled the currency.

Also, Hajiyev does not understand what documents he is accused of forging.

He proposed to conduct expert examinations of the signatures of police officers and experts, which would reveal the falsification of the appropriate documents.

Hajiyev also asked to lift the arrest from the bank account, to which he received funds in accord with the decision of the European Court of Justice.

However, the court rejected a number of motions, and promised to evaluate others in the deliberation room when passing the verdict.

Note that the next court hearing is scheduled for 23 December.

*Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was arrested in December 2022 on charges of hooliganism and contempt of court.
On 16 June last year, the activist was charged with new charges related to financial violations - misappropriation of grants. He was also charged with illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, smuggling and use of false documents.

In November of the same year, another charge was brought against him - non-payment of taxes.

Hajiyev himself and his colleagues consider the trial as a political order, the reason for which was Hajiyev's sharp criticism of the activities of the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry and, in particular, of Minister Vilayat Eyvazov himself.