Details added (first version posted on 16:02)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 21
By Samir Ali – Trend:
Former Ambassador Eldar Hasanov was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
The case of a former ambassador, who is accused of forgery and a number of other heinous crimes, was still considered at a meeting of the Baku Grave Crimes Court chaired by Judge Afgan Hajiyev on Jan. 21.
During the trial, the accused, not pleading guilty, asked the judge to acquit him. After the deliberations of the judges, the verdict was read to Hasanov.
Hasanov was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Moreover, Hasanov is banned to hold office for three years. All his property will be confiscated.
During the investigation, there were grounds for suspicion that while working as an ambassador of Azerbaijan to Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro in 2010-2020, Hasanov, colluding with a group of people, squandered and misappropriated 17.9 million manat (16.9 million euros) under the pretext of purchasing new administrative buildings for embassies.
Hasanov also legalized 11.8 million manat (11.1 million euros) under the pretext of carrying out repair and construction work, knowing that these funds were obtained through crime.
Moreover, Hasanov committed official forgery by writing false information into the official documents.
As an official, having abused the official powers, Hasanov caused great damage to the legally protected interests of the state in the amount of 327,373 manat (180,728 euros) and also misused budget funds in the amount of 192,387 manat (101,761 euros).
In this regard, Hasanov was charged upon articles 179.3.2 (misappropriation or embezzlement of funds on a huge scale), 193-1.3.2 (legalization of money in a huge scale or other property obtained through crimes), 308.2 (abuse of power, entailing grave consequences), 308-1.1 (peculation of state budget funds) and 313 (forgery).
The criminal case against other perpetrators of the crimes, in which Hasanov was also charged, has been included in other proceedings and the investigation is underway.