Trial proceeds for Azerbaijani ministry’s ex-official

Trial proceeds for Azerbaijani ministry’s ex-official
# 18 January 2017 10:15 (UTC +04:00)

The Baku Court of Grave Crimes on Wednesday continued the trial in the criminal case involving Vidadi Zeynalov, head of the Office of the Ministry of Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan, and other people arrested alongside him.

Witnesses testified at the trial presided over by judge Afgan Hajiyev.

Faig Humbatov, former head of the Shamakhi district telephone exchange, said the companies that won tenders belonged to relatives of the ministry’s leadership.

“42,000 manats were transferred to the telephone exchange’s account in 2014. Of this money, I received only 3,000 manats. In some cases, we were carrying out work that the companies that won tenders had to done,” he added.

Yagub Jafarov, former department head at Aztelekom LLC, said the telephone exchanges were supplied with cable and equipment by the ministry.

Sabuhi Huseynov, former head of the Tovuz district telephone exchange, said they didn’t do payments to Aztelekom LLC from the funds allocated to the exchange. His testimony run contrary to the one he gave during the preliminary investigation. Prosecutor read out his testimony. Then he remembered his testimony and confirmed it. It was noted that 5,000 manats were paid to Aztelekom LLC per month. “These were funds collected from customers,” he added.

Former chairman of Aztelekom Mahammad Mammadov also confirmed that they were receiving 5,000 manats from some telephone exchanges per month. He said these funds were used for credits. “Equipment was purchased from Amsterdam on credit. The exchanges were giving funds received from internet subscribers to pay the credits. An official letter was sent to telephone exchanges in this regard,” he said.

Other witness Hafiz Gurbanov confirmed the testimony he had given during the preliminary investigation.

Then, a judicial board passed a decision on compulsory participation of other witnesses in the trial.

The trial will be resumed on Jan. 25.

A series of investigative operations had discovered that in 2009-2015, the director general of Baku Telephone Network Production Association Beytulla Huseynov, entered into a criminal conspiracy with the director of “Bakı Rabite Temir Tikinti” and “Temir Techizat Servis” companies Bayram Valiyev, the director of "3 nomreli Rabite Temir Tikinti” and “Rabite Mulki Tikinti” companies Emin Mammadov and the chief accountant of the Baku Telephone Network Production Association Anar Mustafayev, gave them a project for the implementation of works on the new telephone lines and installation of new equipment. According to the agreement concluded between them, 35-45% are listed on the accounts of these companies means then had to be returned in cash to Beytullah Huseynov. After that Beytullah Huseynov, abusing official powers and organizing sham tenders issued forged documents, which indicated that the work for the fiber-optic lines for the Internet were carried out by companies controlled by him, though in reality, these works were carried out by local telephone networks. Because of these machinations Beytulla Huseynov misappropriated 21,379,000 of 71,263 million manats, transfers to accounts controlled by him LLC. However, investigators have reason to suspect that the head of the ministry's Office, Vidadi Zeynalov, processing government orders to close the company itself and increasing their value by 4-5 times, misappropriated 73.59 million manats.

The investigation revealed cases of appropriation of budgetary funds and forgery in “Aztelekom” LLC, “AzÄ°nTelekom” LLC, Center for information and calculations, “Optik Rabite Tikinti ve Qurashdırma”.

The director general of Baku Telephone Network Production Association Beytulla Huseynov, the director of “Bakı Rabite Temir Tikinti” and “Temir Techizat Servis” companies Bayram Valiyev, the director of "3 nomreli Rabite Temir Tikinti” and “Rabite Mulki Tikinti” companies Emin Mammadov and the chief accountant of the Baku Telephone Network Production Association Anar Mustafayev are charged under articles 179.3.2 (embezzlement on a large scale), 308.2 (abuse of power) and 313 (forgery) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

Head of the Ministry Vidadi Zeynalov, general director of LLC "AzİnTelekom" Jalil Jafarov, the general director of LLC "Azerpocht" Gambar Beybalaevu, Director LLC "Optik Rabite, Tikinti ve Qurashdırma" Namazaly Mammadov faced charges under articles 179.3.2 and 308.2, and chief accountant of the Company Sahrab Humbetov - under articles 179.3.2, 308.2 and 313. For all of those persons elected to the arrest as a preventive measure.

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THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED