BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 16. Azerbaijan's Former First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas Abbasov has been put on wanted list in connection with the case of Former Head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev, TurkicWorld reports.
This development was reflected in a subsequent procedural decision within the criminal case being investigated by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan against Ramiz Mehdiyev and other individuals on charges related to actions aimed at seizing state power.
On the basis of the materials gathered in the course of the investigation, a decision was taken to involve Abbas Abbasov in the aforementioned criminal case. Abbasov, who for many years had not been held accountable due to his defense of Mehdiyev, was declared wanted for evading the investigation while remaining outside the country.
Abbasov served as the First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan beginning in 1992 and, during his tenure, chaired several state commissions. Following his dismissal in 2006, he relocated to the Russian Federation.
According to the investigation, Abbasov engaged in activities during the preceding period that sought to exert control over and influence Azerbaijani diaspora structures in Russia through unlawful means.
Rustam Ibrahimbayov, who headed the “National Council” established in Azerbaijan in early 2013 and comprising Ali Karimli and his associates, was also a member of the Coordination Council of the “Union of Billionaires,” which operated under the direct leadership of Abbas Abbasov.
In 2012, amid emerging warnings that the establishment of the “Union of Billionaires” was linked to political processes in Azerbaijan, Ibrahimbayov publicly rejected these allegations, speaking on behalf of the organization in a series of media interviews. Subsequent developments in 2013 are widely known.
Notably, Abbasov, who had previously traveled to Azerbaijan on a monthly basis, ceased visiting the country following the emergence of the National Council issue in early 2013, exercising caution in light of his activities.
According to the information obtained, funds transferred to Azerbaijan through various channels pursuant to arrangements among the aforementioned individuals and organizations, along with audio and video recordings of these arrangements, related commitments made to participants at the time, records of meetings held abroad, and other materials concerning plans to forcibly seize constitutional state power in Azerbaijan, have been seized, incorporated into the criminal case, and are expected to be publicly examined during open court proceedings.
The Sabayil District Court has issued a ruling in the criminal case against Ramiz Mehdiyev. In accordance with the decision, the court granted the investigative motion and imposed a preventive measure of house arrest on Mehdiyev, who faces criminal charges for particularly serious offenses, for a period of four months.
He has been charged under Articles 278.1 (Actions aimed at seizing state power), 274 (High treason), and 193-1.3.2 (Legalization of property obtained by criminal means) of the Criminal Code.
