BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. The next trial session regarding the criminal case of Martin Ryan and Azad Mammadli, charged with spying for France, initiated by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan, has been conducted, Trend reports.
During the session, which was presided over by Judge Elmin Rustamov and took place at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes, Mammadli answered the state prosecutor's questions.
Mammadli said that he attended events organized by the French Embassy.
“The questions posed to me by the staff of the French Embassy raised some suspicions. The opinions expressed by Frédéric Devos and Laurent Laudy seemed odd. They offered me cooperation, which I firmly refused. I simply regret not informing the relevant Azerbaijani authorities about it. At the time, I didn’t see any danger to the state, so I didn’t take the matter seriously. Later, I traveled to a country not related to France. I saw Laurent only once at an event, where I was introduced to him by Martin Ryan. Martin told me that Laurent was a former police officer and was currently responsible for security at the French Embassy. They were asking me for geopolitical analyses on political matters, but I declined from this,” he reminded.
Mammadli pointed out that he had never provided any information to French intelligence agencies.
“Martin and I also talked about these topics. There were many suspicious behaviors on their part. Since 2023, I cut ties with the French Embassy and Martin Ryan. I sent my CV to Devos only once, and that was job-related. We had no further contact after that. I never handed over any state secrets or other information. They knew I had studied in Russia and tried to involve me because of my connections. I never gave them any written or verbal information—only shared personal opinions,” he explained.
Mammadli mentioned that his relationship with the staff of the French Embassy stemmed from his friendship with Ryan.
“I was very close friends with Martin. He introduced me to members of the embassy’s security service. Martin was on friendly terms with them. It felt like he psychologically pulled me into their circle, creating a sort of triangle between me and the embassy staff. Perhaps Martin and the embassy employees did this intentionally. Once, during a trip to the UK, staff from the French Embassy gave me a book as a gift - it was about tourist attractions in the UK.
I will present facts about Martin Ryan in front of the state and the court. He earned tens of thousands of manats. I didn’t gain any financial benefit or privileges from the French Embassy. I will release a statement regarding Ryan’s actions. He played games with me and set a trap. They orchestrated the espionage scheme very well. I had already severed all ties with the French Embassy. Unfortunately, I didn’t cut off ties with Martin in time,” he recalled.
Ryan, the other defendant, responded to Mammadli’s statements.
He claimed he never introduced Mammadli to anyone as an agent.
“In 2021, Devos was looking for someone familiar with Russia. At the time, Azad was also job hunting. I introduced the two. By October 2022, I began to feel things were becoming risky, though not critically so. Devos never told me he wanted to recruit Azad as an agent. Yes, I arranged some meetings between them. Devos simply wanted to meet French-speaking people in Azerbaijan who followed Russia’s geopolitical developments. When Azad spoke to them, he realized from their questions that they were agents, but he continued engaging with them. He even met Devos without me. Azad later asked me whether he could earn money through the embassy. I told him it was very dangerous, and he agreed. If I were an agent trying to recruit him, I would never have said that,” Ryan said.
Mammadli, in response, alleged that during the Second Karabakh War, Ryan provided the French Embassy with numerous criminally significant details about Azerbaijan.
“Most of the tasks were about providing military-related information. He even admitted to carrying out such tasks. Ryan handed over information on dozens of Azerbaijanis to French intelligence. He relayed information about a former military officer to the French Embassy. By befriending and ensnaring Azerbaijani businessmen, he handed them over to French intelligence. I was his latest victim,” he pointed out.
Mammadli further claimed that communication with French intelligence agents was conducted via the Signal app.
“They messaged me through the app, saying event invitations would be sent through there. After I cut ties, they only messaged me once - I didn’t respond. I was shocked when I read the investigation materials. It turned out French intelligence didn’t pay Ryan directly. They introduced him to a Swedish citizen living in Azerbaijan, who paid him tens of thousands of manats. This Swedish national is a millionaire. Devos used him to finance Martin. Martin’s business in Baku wasn’t particularly profitable, yet he bought a two-room apartment in a central location. When I asked where he got the money, he said it was sent by his parents from France. That also raised further suspicions,” he concluded.
The trial will continue on June 23.
Martin Ryan and others were arrested on December 4, 2023. Ryan, CEO of Mercorama LLC, was charged with espionage.
According to the indictment, Martin Ryan was used as a spy agent by employees of the French DGSE (General Directorate of External Security), who involved him in secret cooperation and were subsequently expelled from Baku as a "persona non grata."
Along with Martin Ryan, Azad Mammadli, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, will stand trial in this criminal case on charges of "high treason."
Meanwhile, on December 20, 2023, Bernard Emy, the chief of the French Directorate General of External Security (DGSE), was fired from his position following the revelation of a significant espionage network and operational deficiencies.
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