> The appeal was accepted for consideration at the preliminary court hearing.
On 3 April, Baku Court of Appeal held a preliminary court hearing on the appeal filed by NGO Chairman Ilgar Aliyev who has been recently convicted of misappropriation, illegal business and other crimes and imprisoned. At the hearing presided over by Judge Jamal Ramazanov, it was announced that the appeal was accepted for consideration. The hearing to examine the appeal on merits is scheduled for 5 April.
According to the indictment, Ilgar Aliyev was detained by the officers of the State Security Service for bringing a secret camera and cold steel into Azerbaijan in an illegal way. During an inspection, 7 pieces of metal knives of various sizes and shapes, 1 piece of five-pointed, acute-angled and star-shaped item, 1 piece of camera-equipped pen and 1 pair of camera-equipped glasses, which had not been orally declared or presented in writing for customs processing in advance, were found, documented and seized from among the personal items in Ilgar Aliyev’s suitcase. In his statement, Aliyev presented himself as the chairman of Yeni Sabah (New Tomorrow) NGO and noted that he had bought the items at a shop in Pattaya, Thailand.
However, Baku Grave Crimes Court convicted Aliyev under Articles 179.3.2 (misappropriation or squandering, in a large amount), 192.1 (illegal business), 228.4 (illegal possession of a weapon), 302.3 (illegal production or selling of technical means designed for secret collection of information, or purchase of such products with an intent to sell), 308.2 (abuse of official powers) and 313 (service forgery) of the Criminal Code, and sentenced him to 12 years in jail.
Recall that, Ilgar Aliyev had already served a jail sentence before his recent conviction. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison by Nizami District Court in 1996 and was released under amnesty in 2001.