Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 14
By Ilkin Izzet - Trend:
The decision of the Azerbaijani trial on the case of Leyla and Arif Yunusovs is fair and became more proof of the fact that everyone is responsible before the law, MP of Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan, member of the Political Council of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party (YAP) Aydin Mirzazade told Trend August 14.
Leyla and Arif Yunusovs are reaping the bitter fruits of their anti-national and criminal activity and were punished in accordance with the law, he said.
The MP said that the Yunusovs are accused of high treason, collaboration with the intelligence services of other countries and financial fraud. All charges made against them were proven in court.
The MP went on to add that Leyla Yunusova first tried to tie her arrest to political activities, but for some reason she didn't want to clarify the issue of cooperation with Armenian special services and receipt of millions of dollars to her account from abroad.
Leyla Yunusova was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison with confiscation of property, and Arif Yunusov was sentenced to seven years in prison with confiscation of property Aug. 13 according to the decision of the Baku Court of Grave Crimes.
The court sentence said that both individuals' bank accounts are confiscated, all their property in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and the Czech Republic are confiscated as well, and they aren't allowed to hold any office for two years after the end of their term of imprisonment.
Leyla and Arif Yunusovs will serve their sentences in a general-regime correctional labor facility.
Leyla Yunusova was charged under the articles 274 (high treason), 178.3.2 (fraud (by inflicting major damage)), 192.2.2 (illegal entrepreneurship), 213.2.2 (evasion from a large amount of taxes), 320.1 (forging a certificate or another official document providing rights or exempting from duties, in order to use or sell that document, as well as making for the same purposes or selling forged state awards of Azerbaijan Republic, stamps, seals, forms) and 320.2 (use of deliberately forged documents indicated in the article 320.1 of this Code) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
Arif Yunusov was charged under the articles 274 (high treason) and 178.3.2 (fraud) of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code.
A separate lawsuit was filed for both individuals on the criminal case under article 274 (high treason).
The court's decision taken August 13 applies only to criminal proceedings on the fraud, tax evasion, and others cases.
Edited by CN