Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.20
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend:
The European Union has welcomed Azerbaijan's decision to allow Leyla Yunusova and her husband Arif Yunusov to leave the country.
The decision of the Azerbaijani authorities to allow the Yunusovs to leave the country further contributes to the enhancement of relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan, Press Secretary of the European External Action Service Maja Kocijancic said in a statement on the arrival of Yunusovs to the Netherlands for treatment.
Earlier, the Baku Court for Grave Crimes sentenced Leyla Yunusova and Arif Yunusov to 8 years and six months and 7 years in prison, respectively.
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 the forged state awards of Azerbaijan, stamps, seals, and forms) and 320.2 (use of deliberately forged documents indicated in the article 320.1) 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.
On Nov. 12, 2015, the Baku Court of Appeals changed the measure of restraint with regard to Arif Yunusov to the recognizance not to leave.
On Dec. 9, 2015, the Baku Appeals Court decided to conditionally release Leyla Yunusova.
She was released in the court room.