Former Azerbaijani Special Service Officers Sentenced to Long-term Imprisonment
The Baku Military Court, chaired by judge Elbey Allahverdiyev, sentenced the former senior officials of the abolished Ministry of National Security (MTN) to long-term imprisonment.
According to the verdict of the court, Movlam Shikhaliyev, who was the head of the General Investigation Department of the abolished Ministry of National Security, was sentenced to 12 years; Yasin Mammadov, who was the deputy head of the investigation department, to 10 years and 6 months; Vusal Alakbarov, who was the head of the 2nd department of the investigation department, to 11 years and 2 months; and investigation Sahib Alakbarov, who was the head of the methodological assistance and criminalistics department of the department, was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
According to the verdict, Shikhaliyev received the rank of major general. The ruling confiscated properties worth more than 4.2 million euros from Shikhaliyev and his family members. The properties of other convicted people were also confiscated.
On July 26, the state prosecutor requested that Movlam Shikhaliyev be imprisoned for 14 years, Vusal Alekbarov for 11 years, Yasin Mammadov for 12 years, and Sahib Alekbarov for 10 years.
The public prosecutor, Movlam Shikhaliyev, and his family members asked the court to confiscate real estate with a total market value of more than 5.4 million euros.
In October 2015, after the dismissal of the Minister of National Security, Eldar Mahmudov, and personnel purges in the special services, numerous employees of this ministry were arrested. Later, in December 2015, the Ministry of National Security was abolished.
Those arrested were charged with fraud, embezzlement and waste, illegal deprivation of liberty, robbery, and extortion by threats.
According to the information released by the General Prosecutor's Office in 2016 regarding the "MTN case," 21 people were charged under the Criminal Code in the criminal case related to the facts of abuse of power and exceeding the powers of duty by individual officials of the abolished Ministry of National Security. 19 people were brought into custody as accused persons under the relevant articles. One person was forbidden to move outside the place of residence. One person who evaded the investigation was searched with preventive arrest measures.