The trial of Anass Derraz, a French citizen of Moroccan origin and vice president of the famous French company SAUR, who was detained in Azerbaijan by the State Security Service and accused of taking large amounts of bribes and other crimes, has begun in Baku, APA reports.
Anass Derraz provided both an English and French interpreter during the trial, under the chairmanship of Judge Farid Namazov at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes.
Then, the defendant's personal information was clarified. It was revealed that Anass Derraz was born in Casablanca, Morocco. He is a citizen of both France and Morocco. He is married and has two young children. He is the Vice President of the international company SAUR. That company is registered in Dubai.
Later, the case was discussed for review in court.
A. Derraz requested a postponement of the hearing: "I ask you to terminate the criminal case and return it to the investigative authority. I have been away from my children for 11 months and I want to return to my country."
His lawyer also requested the court to satisfy the petition on this matter.
After deliberation, the court decided not to satisfy the petition and to keep the preventive measure—restriction from leaving the area—unchanged.
The court hearing has been scheduled for July 3.
Recall that former head of the French President’s Security Service Alexandre Benalla and Anass Derraz, Vice President of the French company SAUR, which has a multibillion turnover (currently in Azerbaijan and under prosecution), are accused of receiving large bribes in exchange for lifting international sanctions against Russian billionaire of Azerbaijani origin, Farhad Ahmadov and other criminal offenses.
According to previous reports published in foreign and local media regarding this case, French officials allegedly demanded a bribe from Farhad Ahmadov in exchange for releasing his luxurious Luna yacht from international seizure and providing him with protection from sanctions.
Based on the information, part of the multimillion-dollar bribe was transferred to Anass Derraz’s account at AL HILAL BANK and Alexandre Benalla’s account at BANK OF AFRICA UNITED KINGDOM PLC SC PAR.
A. Derraz, who was in the hands of the investigation in an unknown manner, was held accountable in Azerbaijan and banned from leaving the country, while INTERPOL was contacted to put A. Benalla on the international wanted list.
INTERPOL’s issuance of a “Red Notice”—the most serious legal basis for international search—against former head of the French President’s Security Service A. Benalla indicates that the State Security Service holds undeniable and credible evidence. A “Red Notice” entails the detention of the person in the country where they are found and their extradition to the requesting country. It is known that A. Benalla is currently subject to extradition proceedings in a third country.
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