F.Mohbaliyev: �Sona Veliyeva Said We Cannot Work with Pasha Bank

Baku / 07.27.19 / Turan: On July 26, the Baku Serious Crimes Court, chaired by Azer Pashayev, held a regular meeting on the case of misappropriation of 564,000 manat in Caspi Lyceum Secondary School LLC.

The chief accountant of the lyceum Tural Mammadov and the second accountant Farahim Mohbaliyev are accused in the case. They are charged under Art. 179.4 (large misappropriation).

At the meeting, the lyceum director Elnur Aliyev was questioned as a witness.

It was on the basis of his appeal to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that this criminal case was initiated.

Aliyev said he has been running the Lyceum since March 2018. He was dissatisfied with the work of the chief accountant Tural Mammadov, because he did not provide timely reports and did it with mistakes.

"In September last year, he did not submit a regular report and I turned to the founder of the lyceum (Sona Veliyeva (spouse of the Azerbaijani presidential aide Ali Hasanov - Ed.) for the dismissal of Mammadov and another accountant Farahim Mohbaliyev. However, the founder always actively supported Mammadov and this time suggested not to dismiss the accountants, but to transfer them to another job. When they reported on the cash office, I found a shortage of 400 thousand manat there. The next day, when the checks were recounted, there was a shortage of an even larger amount. A commission was created and it turned out that 560,000 manat was missing.

Mammadov told me that he wanted to meet with the founder in private. However, I also took part in the meeting. At first, Tural said he took some of the money for his business. Then he came with a receipt that he would pay 560 thousand manat. I did not believe it," said the director of the lyceum.

In turn, the accused Mammadov said in his testimony that the director did not participate in the meeting with Sona Veliyeva. According to the chief accountant, Veliyeva invited him to write a statement and take responsibility for the shortage, otherwise threatening to go to the police.

Lawyer Elchin Sadigov inquired whether the director knew that 90% of the salary of the lyceum's employees was issued in cash. The director replied that after his appointment salaries were issued through the bank.

However, the accused accountant refuted the director"s words, saying that salaries were paid in cash on behalf of the leadership of the lyceum.

When asked whether the director knew about the chief accountant"s transfer of money to the founder, Aliyev answered: "No, it wasn"t interesting to me. I only knew that the founder was extremely supportive of Tural Mammadov. Farahim is innocent. His only fault is that he did not report the crime, knowing this. "

Further, the defendants said they submitted a list of five banks to make transfers. However, Veliyeva, according to Mohbaliyev, said that "we cannot work with Pasha Bank," because if the funds are there, we will also have to transfer money to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

Mammadov also added that he transferred money to Veliyeva every day, and counted the money along with Aliyev. However, the latter denied this.

The next meeting is scheduled for August 2.

According to the indictment, 1 million 366 thousand manat was paid for the training of 454 students of the lyceum in April-October 2018. AZN 564,000 was not included in the official documentation and was assigned by them.

On the basis of the appeal of the lyceum director Elnur Aliyev to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the MIA, a criminal case was initiated. -21C-