Akif Chovdarov asks court for acquittal - UPDATED-1

Akif Chovdarov asks court for acquittal - <span style="color: red;">UPDATED-1
# 04 October 2017 13:46 (UTC +04:00)

An Azerbaijani court resumed on Wednesday the trial in the criminal case involving Major General Akif Chovdarov, former head of the main energy and transport security directorate under the liquidatedMinistry of National Security (MNS), and other people arrested alongside him.

Akif Chovdarov made final statement at the trial presided over by Baku Military Court chairman Habib Hasanov, APA reports.

Chovdarov asked the court for acquittal: “If the court doesn’t justify but punish me, then release other defendants. You wanted to arrest one person, but you couldn’t and took us here.”

Following his final statement, the judges adjourned for consultations. The trial was postponed till indefinite time.

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13:17

An Azerbaijani court resumed on Wednesday the trial in the criminal case involving Major General Akif Chovdarov, former head of the main energy and transport security directorate under the liquidated Ministry of National Security (MNS), and other people arrested alongside him.

Making a final statement at the trial, Chovdarov said that he had wanted to commit suicide before being arrested.

“I wanted to commit suicide before my arrest. Then I though if I kill myself, then they would put the blame on me”, he added.

The trial is underway behind closed doors.

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12:50

An Azerbaijani court resumed on Wednesday the trial in the criminal case involving Major General Akif Chovdarov, former head of the main energy and transport security directorate under the liquidated Ministry of National Security (MNS), and other people arrested alongside him.

Akif Chovdarov is making final statement at the trial presided over by Baku Military Court chairman Habib Hasanov, lawyer Anar Gasimli told APA.

According to the lawyer, in his statement, Chovdarov pleaded not guilty.

The trial is continuing behind closed doors.

The prosecutor earlier asked the court to sentence Akif Chovdarov to 15 years, Salim Mammadov to 12 years, Akif Aliyev to 9 years and Orkhan Osmanov 9 years in prison.

Akif Chovdarov faces charges under Articles 145.3 (illegal deprivation of freedom of a person, causing to the death of the victim or other serious consequences by negligence), 179.3.1, 179.3.2 (embezzlement or waste by an organized group on a large scale), 181.3.1, 181.3.2 (robbery committed by an organized group in order to seize the property on a large scale), 182.3.1, 182.3.2 (extortion, committed by an organized group in order to obtain property on a large scale), 228.4 (illegal purchase, selling or carrying of gas weapon, cold steel, including throwing weapon), 302.1, 302.2 (implementation operative - search actions by not authorized persons, as well as implementation of these actions by authorized persons, but without grounds provided by the legislation, entailed essential, and the same acts committed with use of special means, intended for secret dredging the information), 311.3.1, 311.3.2, 311.3.3, 311.3.4 (bribe-taking by a group of persons on preliminary arrangement, committed repeatedly on a large scale with the use of threats), 313 (service forgery), 341.2.1, 341.2.2, 241.2.3 (abusing authority, excess or inactivity of authority committed by a group of persons, committed with the use of weapons, resulted in grave consequences) of the Criminal Code. The former head of the first department of the ministry’s main directorate Salim Mammadov is charged under articles 145.3, 179.3.1, 179.3.2, 181.3.1, 181.3.2, 182.3.1, 182.3.2, 302.1, 302.2, 311.3.1, 311.3.2, 311.3.3, 311.3.4, 313, 341.2.1, 341.2.2 and 341.2.3; the former head of the second department Akif Aliyev is charged under articles 145.3, 179.3.1, 179.3.2, 181.3.1, 181.3.2, 182.3.1, 182.3.2, 302.2, 311.3.1, 311.3.2, 311.3.3, 311.3.4, 313, 341.2.1, 341.2.2 and 341.2.3; the former deputy head of the first division of the third department Orkhan Osmanov is charged under 145.3, 181.3.1, 181.3.2, 182.3.1, 182.3.2, 302.2, 311.3.1, 311.3.2, 311.3.3, 311.3.4, 341.2.1, 341.2.2 and 341.2.3.

The court ordered seizure on property and cash worth of 33,466,000, trade and service sectors, greenhouses, aquaculture farms and other property complexes, land plots worth of 8,967,000 manats, private houses, apartments and vehicles worth of 24,445,000 manats, jewelry worth of 37,000 manats belonging to the accused persons –- Akif Chovdarov, Salim Mammadov, Akif Aliyev and Orkhan Osmanov to compensate damage caused to the aggrieved persons.

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THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED