The former head of the International Bank of Azerbaijan demands to summon the Minister of Finance

 The arrested ex-chairman of the board of OJSC "International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) Jahangir Hajiyev rejected the charges against him of misappropriation and abuse of office, Hajiyev said about it on August 17 in the  Baku Serious Crimes Court at the preparatory hearing in the case against Hajiyev and seven former officials of the IBA. The lawyer Fakhraddin Mehdiyev petitioned to dismiss the criminal case, change the measure of restraint on house arrest. The lawyer also requested to summon the Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov. Hajiyev himself repeated that  he did not plead guilty. He noted that when a lawsuit was filed, he was abroad and if would have been guilty,  he would not  return to the country.  He eleven times testified the investigation, and in December 2015 he was arrested. Hajiyev said that he was illegally kept for 38 days in the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, because he was to be transferred to the detention center.

Hajiyev said that the investigation was incompetent and biased.  The indictment alleged irregularities on the issuance of loans to 49 individuals. However, the investigators were provided with all the documents on compliance with the rules of lending. Hajiyev pointed out that although he was accused of embezzling, the investigation has no complaints of loans that they have given money Hajiyev, or anyone else. At the same time, members of the audit committee of IBA - are employees of the Ministry of Finance and they sign all decisions. However, none of them are brought to justice. Then Hajiyev asked to appear in court the Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov. "I would say even more, he must be here in jail with me," said Hajiyev. He also pointed out the groundlessness of the nomination of claims due to non-return of credits in terms of which have not yet expired. According to him, two million inhabitants of Azerbaijan have loan debts. "In this case, it is necessary to arrest all those who issued these loans," he said.

However, the public prosecutor opposed the applications. The meeting is adjourned. Along with Hajiyev before court were brought the former leaders of the IBA branches: Anar Sultanov, Yusuf Alekperov, Ilgar Abdullayev, Kanan Orujov, Mammad Jahangirov, as well as the former director of the Baku plant for the processing of nuts Azad Javadov. They are charged under the Articles 179.3.1, 179.3.2 (embezzlement on a large scale by an organized group), 308.2 (abuse of power, resulting in grave consequences), 309.2 (abuse of power, resulting in grave consequences), 313 (forgery), 228.1 and 228.4 (illegal purchase, transfer, selling, storage, transportation or carrying of fire-arms, accessories to it, supplies) of the Criminal Code.  Hajiyev resigned from his post as head of the IBA  on 18 March, 2015 "for health reasons".  Then were arrested a number of former high-ranking employees of IBA and businessmen who received large loans from the bank. According to unofficial data, the amount of bad loans in the IBA reached $6 billion. Hajiyev was summoned for questioning  after the resignation on 17 October from the post of the head of the MNS his close relative Eldar Mahmudov. On December 5 Hajiyev was arrested. According to the lawyer, he was charged with the assignment of 42 million manats, which were returned to the state in the form of shares of the bank  amounting 80 million manat.-06D--