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What did the French spy network attempt? -New developments in the trial

07 January 2025 12:02 (UTC +04:00)

The next court hearing was held on the criminal case of Martin Ryan and Azad Mammadli, who were accused of spying for France in a criminal case initiated by the State Security Service, APA reports.

The trial has begun in the Baku Grave Crimes Court under the chairmanship of Judge Elmin Rustamov. The defendants are being tried in an open court session. The court conducted legal procedures to ensure the defendants' full procedural rights were upheld. Representatives of local and foreign media, as well as employees of foreign embassies, participated in the session.

During the trial, the state prosecutor announced the indictment.

According to the indictment, there are reasonable suspicions that Martin Ryan received instructions to obtain information about weapons and ammunition produced in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the recruitment of the Azerbaijani army during the 44-day Patriotic War of 2020, persons who were in military service or who were released from the reserve in the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, persons who studied French abroad, foreign citizens and legal entities operating in Azerbaijan, the possibility of organizing secret money transfers to other countries through Azerbaijan on behalf of a French intelligence, relations and contacts between Great Britain, Algeria, Türkiye, Pakistan, Iran, China, Somalia, Central Asian states and Azerbaijan, military cooperation plans, and weapons and ammunition imported into Azerbaijan, and his activities in these areas.

The defendant Martin Ryan is also suspected of establishing purposeful personal contacts with individuals who worked in the embassies of certain foreign states in Azerbaijan, receiving information and passing it on to a foreign special service agency.

The indictment states that the accused, Martin Ryan, arranged meetings between Azad Mammadli and employees of France's special intelligence services at a rented apartment in the Sabail district and a restaurant in the same area.

Azad Mammadli was promised foreign citizenship in exchange for the tasks he would carry out.

Following the agreement, communication with Azad Mammadli was maintained through specific mobile applications and a Gmail address.

If the charges against the accused, Martin Ryan and Azad Mammadli, are proven, they face imprisonment for a term ranging from 12 to 20 years.

In the open court session, the accused, Martin Ryan, partially admitted his guilt in the criminal case and noted the existence of evidence to support his claim.

The court decided to continue the proceedings by questioning the accused and witnesses and examining documents and evidence.

The trial will continue on February 19.

The process will continue as open.

Note that the accused were arrested on December 4, 2023. Martin Ryan, the director general of "Merkorama" LLC, has been charged under Article 276 (espionage). According to the charges, Martin Ryan was used as an agent-spy by France's DGSE (Directorate-General for External Security) officers who recruited him for covert collaboration and were later declared "persona non grata" and expelled from Baku. In the same case, along with Martin Ryan, the citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan Azad Mammadli has been charged under Article 274 (treason). As is known, following the exposure of a wide spy network and operational failures, Bernard Émié, the head of France's DGSE, was dismissed from his position on December 20, 2023.