On September 9, Baku Grave Crimes Court chaired by Judge Afgan Hajiyev continued the hearing on the criminal case of the former chairman of the Board of Azerbaijan International Bank OJSC Jahangir Hajiyev and 7 other men, including former directors of the Bank’s main branch Yusif Alakbarov and Anar Sultanov, former head of the main branch Ilgar Abdullayev, General Director of Inter Security LLC – the company in charge of the protection of the Bank’s administrative buildings – Ibrahim Huseynov, former director of the Bank’s transport branch Kanan Orujov, former director of the Bank’s Narimanov branch Mammad Jahangirov who currently chairs AFB Bank OJSC’s Supervisory Board and Baku Hazelnut Factory’s former director Azad Javadov.
At the hearing, defendant Jahangir Hajiyev’s lawyer Fakhraddin Mehdiyev filed a motion for familiarisation with the transcripts of the court hearings, which the judge said was impossible at the current stage, because according to him, if the motion was granted, the process of getting acquainted with the transcripts, submission of comments on them and review of comments would take substantial time and stall the proceedings. The judge told the lawyer that he could familiarise with the transcripts within three days after the delivery of the verdict.
Witness Emma Hasanova testified at the hearing. She said that among the defendants she only knew Azad Javadov, who she said was her ex-son-in-law. The witness said she had never taken a loan, but had only signed a loan agreement at the request of her former son-in-law Azad Javadov.
Another witness by name Ehtiram Aliyev took the stand next. He identified himself as the head of the Sabail branch of the International Bank. He said he knew all of the defendants. The witness testified on the issuance of loans.
Witness Alakbar Hasanov said that among the defendants he only knew Azad Javadov, who he said was the ex-husband of his sister. Witness Hasanov spoke about the dagger mentioned in the case file as cold steel. He said he had given the dagger to his former brother-in-law as a birthday present. He noted that he bought the dagger at a shop near the metro station “28 May” in 2003 and added “I wish I had bought a perfume instead.”
Deputy Head of the Sabunchu branch of the International Bank Niyaz Karimzade testified next. He said he knew all of the defendants and noted that he had signed the documents for the issuance of one loan ‘when the management was out of office’.
Due to the absence of the other six witnesses, the judge ordered that they be brought before the court compulsorily.
The next hearing was set for September 14, 11.30 am.
Background: Former Chairman of the Board of Azerbaijan International Bank OJSC Jahangir Hajiyev was arrested on 5 December 2015. He is charged under Articles 179.3.1 and 179.3.2 (misappropriation of a large amount of money by an organised group), 308.2 (abuse of official powers resulting in serious consequences), 309.2 (exceeding officials powers resulting in serious consequences), 313 (service forgery), and 228.1 and 228.4 (illegal acquisition, transfer, selling, storage, transportation or carrying of a weapon, its accessories, ammunition or explosives) of the Criminal Code.
The defendants are accused of misappropriating 211 million AZN.
According to the indictment bill, defendant Azad Javadov is additionally charged under Article 228.4 (possession of cold steel) of the Criminal Code due to the dagger gifted to him.
Note that Jahangir Hajiyev, Ilgar Abdullayev, Yusif Alakbarov and Ibrahim Huseynov have been ordered detained and are held on remand. Other four defendants, Anar Sultanov, Kanan Orujov, Mammad Jahangirov and Azad Javadov are on bail.