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Decision made regarding French citizen who caused damage to metro depot property in Baku

16 December 2024 17:23 (UTC +04:00)

The court process regarding the appeal of the French citizen Clerc Theqo Hugo, who was accused of secretly entering the depot of the Baku Metro and painting several carriages, has been concluded, APA reports.

The accused person made a statement during the hearing held today at the Baku Court of Appeal under the chairmanship of Judge Ibrahim Ibrahimli.

He said that he did not know the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan but considered himself guilty: "I understand that the action I committed is considered hooliganism, but our intention was not bad. We also drew an eight-pointed star in the painting. We had no other intention."

The accused also informed the participants in the process that he had written a letter to the head of state requesting forgiveness: "I have sent a letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as to the President of France, asking for forgiveness. I understand my guilt. I request the court to forgive me or, like my other companions, to replace my punishment with a fine."

During the process, in response to the judge's question, "Was there no other place to paint?" the accused person stated that in his country when trains are parked at a station, people can paint on the carriages: "I didn't know that this action could lead to such a result for me."

The accused person's lawyer, Elchin Sadigov, stated during his speech that Clerc Theqo Hugo is a famous artist and came to the country as a tourist: "The investigation agency has portrayed him as a hooligan for his actions. However, there is nothing negative in the paintings. This has been confirmed by the expert examination. There is no disrespect or hooliganism towards society in the paintings."

The lawyer also mentioned that the accused person has fully paid the amount.

The legal heir of the victim, Babak Ismayilov, expressed that he does not wish for the appeal to be granted. He stated that this was a deliberate and pre-planned act: "If they had good intentions, they would have approached the entry point. Breaking through the fence to enter a prohibited area is a violation of the law in all countries. Moreover, in the preliminary investigation, they admitted that this was a planned act."

Later, the state prosecutor Ilkin Yusifov stated that this is not the first offense of the accused person: "He has been repeatedly held accountable for similar actions in his own country. The first-instance court imposed the minimum sentence. I suggest that the appeal be rejected."

After deliberation, the court made a decision. According to the decision, the appeal was not granted, and the judgment of the first-instance court was not changed.

Note that, according to information released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, investigations revealed that the Australian citizen P. Han Paul, New Zealand citizen Ismael De Saint Quent, and French citizen Clerc Theqo Hugo were suspected of illegally entering a depot belonging to the "Baku Metro" Closed Joint-Stock Company on the night of March 30, 2024, and deliberately causing damage to state property.

Since the act constituted a crime, a criminal case was initiated under the relevant article of the Criminal Code, and the French citizen Clerc Theqo Hugo was sentenced to three months of imprisonment by a court decision, while non-custodial preventive measures were applied to the others.

By the decision of the Narimanov District Court, Clerc Theqo Hugo has been sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment. The other individuals were fined 6,800 manat. The damage they caused to the affected organization has been fully reimbursed.