Azerbaijan, Baku, 19 March / corr. Trend K. Zarbaliyeva/ The preparatory meeting on the appeal of the former economic development minister of Azerbaijan and of men arrested together with him is still going on.
"The former economic development minister Farhad Aliyev and Rafig Aliyev, his brother, the former president of Azpetrol were arrested in October 2005 on charges of coup d'eta and staging of mass disorders.
In first half of day Elton Guliyev, the lawyer of Farhad Aliyev made an appeal to update an investigation in court. The lawyer said that the first instance court did not allow a number of appeals on the protection of the rights and the evidence introduces were not investigated.
The former minister said that the first instance court examined the case unfairly and he could not get familiar with the criminal case documents.
Later, Farhad Aliyev was accused of the following crimes according to the Penal Code: the appropriation of a big sum of money, an illegal entrepreneurship by an organized group, smuggling, and tax evasion, abuse of power, bribe, and forgery. Rafig Aliyev is charged with tax evasion and smuggling.
The charges against Farhad and Rafig Aliyev on coup d'eta and staging mass disorders have already been put into execution.
The Court for Serious Crimes sentenced the former economic development minister to 10 years of jail and confiscated his property; his brother was sentenced to 9 years of jail.
The court decided that two brothers are not allowed to take a government post for 5 years after their release.