Court of Appeal upheld ex-minister in custody

The Sumgayit Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal by the former Minister of Foreign Economic Relations Nijat Guliyev, sentenced to 3 years' imprisonment on charges of illegal possession of weapons.

The court upheld the verdict of the court of first instance, Turan was told at the Sumgait Court of Appeal.

Earlier Guliyev rejected the accusations, calling them rigged, and the trial itself – ordered.

Guliyev was arrested August 8 last year in the village Novkhani. According to the investigation, in Guliyev’s dacha they found guns and hand grenades, and in his private car they found a gun.

After Guliyev’s arrest a famous screenwriter and Presidential Candidate of the opposition in the elections in 2013 Rustam Ibrahimbekov said that the arrest was associated with him.

In an interview with Turan Ibrahimbekov said that he had communications with Guliyev, who repeatedly called him on the phone and advised how to circumvent legal obstacles related to dual citizenship of Ibrahimbekov. The playwright is sure Guliyev is punished just for this support.

Nijat Guliyev was the Minister of Foreign Economic Relations of Azerbaijan in 1993-95. Since the late 90's to the mid-2000s he worked as advisor to the President of Ajaria, Aslan Abashidze. After Abashidze's resignation, Guliyev was doing business in Azerbaijan and Turkey.

In October 2005, Nijat Guliyev, along with other senior officials was arrested on charges of plotting a coup, but two weeks later, he was released. -16/06D--