Prosecutor�s Office Decides to Return Faig Amirov�s Car

Baku / 02.05.17 / Turan: After 8 months of the arrest of the financial director of the Azadlig newspaper Faig Amirov, the prosecutor's office decided to return his personal car, arrested after the institution of the criminal case.

The car was seized without any explanation on August 20 on the day of detention despite repeated appeals of the defense and the fact that the car belongs to Amirov's wife.

On May 2, the Investigatory Directorate for Serious Crimes called Amirov’s home and said the car could be taken away.

Recall that Amirov was detained on August 20, 2016 on charges of inciting inter-religious strife. Thus, Amirov was introduced as the Imam of the movement Hizmet, which in Turkey is accused of terrorism and attempted coup d'état.

On April 17, Amirov was charged with new charges: under articles 213.1 (tax evasion) and 308.2 (abuse of office) of the Criminal Code.

On April 19, the preliminary investigation was announced as finished. Amirov rejected all the accusations as far-fetched.

After the arrest of Amirov, the issue of the newspaper Azadlig was terminated. The bank serving the newspaper refused to recognize the authority of other employees of the newspaper.

After Amirov's arrest, a tax audit for the period of 2010-2016 was arranged in the newspaper's editorial office.

The majority of employees of the newspaper Azadlig were summoned for interrogation to the Investigation Department for Grave Crimes of the Prosecutor General's Office. Some of them had to leave the country. -B06--