What Did the Liberated Chovdarov and Gurbanov Do?

Baku / 07.04.20 / Turan: The pardon of the former generals of the abolished MNS caused sharp criticism of the public of Azerbaijan. Many users are perplexed about how it was possible to release those who committed serious crimes. At the same time, attention is drawn to the fact that the “werewolves in uniform” did not even serve half their term.

Human rights activists and oppositionists are indignant: how could one release such odious individuals, who had long “nightmared” business and citizens, and leave political prisoners in prison, including veterans of the Karabakh war?

Recall that Akif Chovdarov headed the Main Directorate for Security in Energy and Transport of the abolished Ministry of National Security.

He was charged under dozens of articles of the Criminal Code: 145.3 (unlawful deprivation of liberty, resulting in the death of the victim); 179.3.1, 179.3.2 (large-scale appropriation or embezzlement by an organized group); 181.3.1, 181.3.2 (robbery committed by an organized group in order to seize property on a large scale); 182.3.1, 182.3.2 (extortion committed by an organized group in order to obtain property on a large scale); 228.4 (illegal acquisition, sale or carrying of weapons); 302.1, 302.2 (implementation of operational-search measures by unauthorized persons); 311.3.1, 311.3.2, 311.3.3, 311.3.4 (receiving a bribe by a group of persons by prior conspiracy or by an organized group, repeatedly, on a large scale, using threats); 313 (official forgery); 308 (abuse of power); 309 (abuse of office).

In the final sentence, a number of charges were dropped. At the same time, the court confiscated Chovdarov’s property for 33 million manat. Despite such a colossal amount of criminally acquired property, Chovdarov was given only 12 years in prison.

On similar charges, the head of the Ministry of National Security on combating transnational economic crime, Subahir Gurbanov, was also arrested. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

In total, in October-November 2015, 21 high-ranking MNS officers and generals were arrested and convicted on these charges.

As it turned out, the MNS was essentially operated by an organized criminal group, which subjugated other state structures, in particular the Ministry of Communications and its enterprises.

The unbridled nature of the “Chekists” reached the point where they monitored and illegally listened to senior officials and business representatives.

However, the head of the Ministry of National Security, Eldar Mahmudov, escaped arrest. His family business was not injured, except for the arrest of his partner and the godfather of the former head of the International Bank, Jahangir Hajiyev.

To date, most of the former MNS officers and generals have been released. Some received conditional sentences, while others received lesser sentences.

All the defendants in the “case of communication workers” - high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Communications, who committed serious crimes together with the leadership of the Ministry of National Security, were also released. –06D-