Corruption investigator Orkhan Ismayilov beaten in Ganja branch of State Property Committee

Baku/17.03.23/Turan:On the evening of March 16, in the office of the Ganja territorial Administration of the Ganja branch of the State Property Committee, which is located in the building of the Executive Power of the city,  force provocation was committed against Orkhan Ismayilov, a businessman, human rights activist and author of numerous articles in Turan about cases of corruption he investigated.

During an auction of land plots, which was held in the chief's office, Ismayilov was attacked by a group of veterans and disabled war veterans. He was beaten up, the veterans shouted that he was preventing them from buying the land by deliberately inflating the price of the plots," Orkhan Ismayilov told Turan.

He sent letters to the Prosecutor General's Office and the head of the Department for Combating Corruption, as well as to the Minister of Economy and his subordinate, the head of the State Property Service.

In the letter Ismayilov informs that he intended to participate in the auction for the sale of land in the Kyapaz and Nizami municipalities of Ganja.  When bidding in the Kyapiaz municipality he was told at once that all the plots had owners and that houses were being built on them. Asked why these lands were then put up for auction, he was told again what he had been told before and told not to believe what had been written.

A responsible person in the Ganja department of the State Property Committee also said that all the plots put up for sale have owners, they are war veterans and invalids, and the auction is held formally. The responsible person named Etimad warned Ismayilov that he would have problems with the war veterans.

At 3 pm, on 16 March, Ismailov was beaten and berated by the war veterans in the office of the head of the service, under the silent observation of the members of the auction committee. The veterans were then joined by the same above-mentioned Etimad. The violence continued until the police arrived, and the incident was recorded on Ismailov's dictaphone.

He believes that the provocation was organized by Etimad and Tural, employees of the SPC, who shouted that "this man is a broker, taking lands away from the disabled". But then, having worked it out, the same veterans admitted that Etimad and Tural had cheated them, extorting money from them for privatisation of lands and the right to build houses. The war veterans apologised to Ismailov.

The auction failed that day. Ismayilov asked the prosecutor's office and the appropriate ministries to investigate the illegal actions during the land auctions and to punish the organizers of the provocation against him.

Ismayilov told Turan that the police drew up a report of petty hooliganism on Ismayilov's part, paying him a fine of 50 manats. Ismayilov added that the police intended to sentence him to 15 days of arrest through the court.

The Ganja Regional Public Relations Department of the Interior Ministry  told Turan Agency that an investigation into the event was underway and that the results would be reported.-0-

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