Former Nakhchivan officials uncover schemes to embezzle millions of budget funds

The Nakhchivan Court of Grave Crimes has started consideration of the criminal case against former Minister of Finance of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) Rafael Aliyev and former head of tariffs and payments regulation department of the state customs committee of the region Mansur Askerov.

On 15 April, the indictment was read out, according to which Aliyev and Askerov, in collusion with other persons, embezzled state budget funds.

Askerov said in his testimony that illegal fees were charged to both cargo and passengers. Sahat Habibbeyli, appointed head of the NAR customs committee in 2020, instructed Askerov to transfer the money he collected to the transport infrastructure programme (TIP) he created, he said.

As head of the tariffs and payments department, Askerov received unofficial remuneration in the form of a "package" worth 3,000 manats.

At the same time, he pointed out that he personally received nothing from the collected funds and the money went to the chairman of the committee. Askerov said that he personally handed the money to the chairman of the committee in his office. Askerov partially pleaded guilty.

Defendant Rafael Aliyev said that in 2011 he worked as head of the financial department of the customs committee. The collected funds were transferred to the heads of the passenger and cargo offices, and then to the head of the department.

Aliyev was engaged in converting the money into dollars, which he gave to former chairmen of the customs committee Assef Mammadov and Sahat Habibbeyli.

Subsequently, after becoming the Minister of Finance of Nakhchivan, Aliyev transferred budget funds to various state structures for purchases at inflated prices, then these funds were cashed and embezzled.

Aliyev admitted that his official salary as a minister was 2300 manats and his "package" was 15,000 manats.

The court hearing will continue on 2 May.

Added to this can be that in November-December 2022, a number of high-ranking officials were arrested in the NAR on charges under Articles 179.4 (embezzlement on a large scale), 308.2 (abuse of power) and others.

In addition to Aliyev and Askerov, former head of the customs committee Sakhat Gabibbeyli, ex-head of the architecture committee Hijran Rustamov and others were also arrested.

The arrested were transferred to house arrest in March 2023, while Habibbeyli had been initially under house arrest.

Aliyev is accused of embezzling AZN 144 million, Rustamov is accused of embezzling AZN 212 million, and Gabibbeyli and Askerov are accused of embezzling AZN 132 million.

Of interest is the fact that representatives of the opposition and media arrested in Azerbaijan on charges of smuggling of much smaller amounts, despite the lack of evidence, have been arrested and kept in pre-trial detention centres for many months.