Entrepreneurs robbed by Ministry of National Security (MNB) Generals on $13 million complain about unfair trial

Baku/19.07.22/Turan:  On July 19, a group of persons recognized as victims in the case of crimes of officials of the abolished Ministry of National Security (MNB) of Azerbaijan held a protest rally in front of the Prosecutor General's Office against an unfair judicial investigation.

They believe that the judge of the Baku Military Court, Elbey Allahverdiyev, presiding over the trial, is investigating the case biased and takes the side of the accused. The victims believe that this is being done deliberately so that the damage caused by the extortionists of the MNB is not compensated.

“The judge does not satisfy the petitions of the victims, interrupts their speeches and their lawyers,” said the victim Huseyn Safarov. He noted that 36 entrepreneurs were recognized as victims in the case, 4 of them have already died.

“Movlam Shihaliyev (the former head of the Ministry of National Security, now accused) took 8 million dollars from one of the victims, 1 million dollars from Akif Gurbanov, 2 million dollars from Nizami Kazimov, and 2 million dollars from me,” Safarov said

Another victim, Afsal Hasanaliev, said that he was kept in the pre-trial detention center of the Ministry of National Security for five months.

“They demanded 100,000 manats for my release, then they reduced the amount to 50,000 dollars. I was forced to mortgage the house (on a loan) and give them the money,” Afsanaliev said.

He tried to set himself on fire, but the other victims did not allow him to do so. After that, the victims were received at the reception of the Prosecutor General's Office.

In turn, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office told Turan that the protesters were recommended to apply to the Judicial-Legal Council.

Mehdi Safarov, head of the office of the Baku Military Court, told Turan that the process is being carried out objectively, the judicial review continues until there is a verdict. After the verdict, the dissatisfied party can apply to a higher authority, he said.

* The persons involved in this criminal case are: the ex-head of the Main Investigation Department of the Ministry of National Security, General Movlam Shihaliyev and a group of other senior officers of the Ministry of National Security.

The investigation found that in 2008-2014. Movlam Shikhaliyev, as well as the former head of the Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence of the Ministry of National Security Nizami Shirinov, the former head of the department of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of National Security Vusal Alekperov, the former deputy head of the department of preliminary investigation Yasin Mammadov, the former deputy head of the department Sahib Alekperov in an organized manner, through threats, appropriated the property of those under investigation and extorted bribes in especially large sizes.

These officers are accused of taking bribes in the amount of 14 million 292 thousand manats and embezzlement of property in the amount of 5 million 77 thousand manats.

Shihaliyev was charged under  the Article 182.3.1, 182.3.2 (extortion by an organized group in order to acquire property on a large scale), 294.3 (falsification of evidence), 311.3.1 (bribery by an organized group). ---03В06--