A new court hearing has been held in the criminal case launched by the State Security Service (SSS) against Martin Ryan, who was arrested on charges of espionage for France, and Azad Mammadli, accused of high treason, APA reports.
Witnesses testified at the hearing chaired by Judge Elmin Rustamov at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes.
Witness testimonies
Testifying as a witness in the case, K.Y. stated that he had previously served in the State Border Service and held the rank of colonel. He said that he knew Martin Ryan and met him in 2019 at the “World Business Centre” operating in Baku. K.Y. noted that at that time, he had decided to learn French and, considering that the center offered French language courses, he applied there and became acquainted with Martin Ryan, who was teaching French at the center. However, he stated that he later became dissatisfied with Martin Ryan’s teaching methods and unprofessional approach, and therefore left the course. He said that after meeting Martin Ryan, the latter noticed that he was a military officer and asked where and in what position he worked, to which he replied that he served in the State Border Service. The witness added that during their subsequent meetings, Martin Ryan asked him questions about where in Baku he lived and with whom, and he answered those questions.
Another witness, N.M., stated in his testimony that he is the head of “Linguist” LLC, which organizes foreign language training at the “World Business Centre,” and the executive director of “Expert Services FZE” LLC. He said that Martin Ryan conducted French language training at the company for about two months. During that period, Martin Ryan taught French to K.Y., who worked at the State Border Service, and to O.K., who worked at the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan. The witness added that he met Martin Ryan at several events organized by the French Embassy but did not have any other conversations with him.
Şahid Z.M. isə bildirib ki, o, 2008-ci ildə tələbə yığıncağında Fransa vətəndaşı, əslən belaruslu olan Qleb Jarkov adlı tələbə yoldaşı vasitəsilə həmin vaxt “Monpelye 3” universitetində təhsil alan Martin Ryanla tanış olub.
Witness Z.M. stated that he met Martin Ryan in 2008 during a student gathering through his classmate Gleb Zharkov, a French citizen of Belarusian origin, who introduced them. At that time, Martin Ryan was studying at the University of Montpellier 3.
The witness said that after completing his studies, he returned to Azerbaijan since he did not have a stable job in France. He then worked as a French language teacher at various language centers, where he met Azad Mammadli, who was his student.
In 2019, a former classmate named Ramin called him and informed him that Martin Ryan would be coming to Azerbaijan and needed a place to stay. Later, Z.M. and Martin began renting an apartment together in Baku. The witness further stated that he was the one who introduced Azad Mammadli to Martin Ryan. In 2020, while walking with Martin Ryan along the boulevard in Baku, they met Azad Mammadli by chance, and afterward, Martin and Azad developed a friendship. From that time on, Azad met with Martin Ryan several times privately.
Z.M. added that a few years later, Azad went to Northern Ireland for work. Before leaving, Martin arranged a meeting for him with French Embassy employees Frédéric Devos and Laurent Girard, who, according to the witness, tried to recruit Azad for secret cooperation.
The witness also stated that Martin once told him French intelligence representatives had given Azad a written assignment hidden inside a book. In return for cooperating with them, Azad reportedly demanded French citizenship. Martin told him that the French intelligence service was closely monitoring the activities of Iran and Russia within the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The witness stated that he later left his previous job due to low salary and applied to the French Embassy for a translator position. He said that Martin Ryan submitted an application to the embassy on his behalf to support his employment there. Shortly after this application, he was invited to an interview at the French Embassy and began working there some time later.
Continuing his testimony, the witness noted that even before he started working at the embassy, Martin Ryan had told him that Frédéric Devos, who served as an adviser to the ambassador, was actually an officer of the French intelligence service. He added that Frédéric Devos was later replaced by Laurent Girard.
He said that he did not know Martin Ryan as an officer of the French intelligence service, but rather as someone connected with them. Frédéric Devos even once asked Martin whether he could travel to Iran.
Witness Z.M. stated that Martin later told him that Frédéric Devos, Laurent Ledit, and Laurent Girard — all of whom had worked at the French Embassy and served as advisers to the ambassador — were officers of the French intelligence service. Martin also told him that he regularly met with these intelligence officers one or two times a month at various restaurants in the city center.
In his testimony, Z.M. stated that after the Second Karabakh War, officers of the French intelligence service were interested in the socio-political developments taking place in Azerbaijan, as well as in Russia, Iran, and Türkiye. During a conversation with Martin, the latter told him that although Azad cooperated with the French intelligence services, he was always afraid of the Russian intelligence service. Frédéric had constantly instructed Martin to stay away from Russians living in Baku.
Testifying as a witness in the case, U.A. stated that he studied at the University of Montpellier in the French Republic from 2004 to 2009. He said that he met Martin Ryan in 2005 during a New Year’s Eve celebration in France through Gleb, a French citizen of Belarusian origin.
The witness noted that he had a close relationship with Martin Ryan, and within that context, they had conversations on various topics. The main subjects of their discussions were Martin Ryan’s business connections, his desire to expand his alcoholic beverage business in Azerbaijan, and political issues. Martin Ryan often asked him general questions about the country’s politics, the tense relations between Azerbaijan and France at that time and how long those tensions might continue, what the peak of that tension could be, as well as Azerbaijan’s relations with other neighboring countries.
He further stated that about two years ago, he met Azad Mammadli at Martin Ryan’s apartment in Baku. Azad Mammadli introduced himself as a lawyer working at the International Bank of Azerbaijan. Over time, he met Azad Mammadli two or three more times, usually at Martin Ryan’s residence.
Continuing his testimony, the witness said that in approximately November 2023, he received an invitation email from the French Embassy in Baku, inviting him to a conference at the Azerbaijan–France University. After the conference, during a banquet, he met Laurent Girard, who asked what he did for a living. The witness replied that he was engaged in agriculture. Laurent Girard introduced himself as the First Secretary of the French Embassy and offered him a business partnership. However, after learning that the witness worked in the city of Khachmaz, Girard said he would not be able to travel there.
After the event, when he returned home and spoke with Martin Ryan, the latter asked him who else had attended. He told Martin Ryan that he had met Laurent Girard at the event and that Girard had given him a business card with his mobile number on it. At that point, Martin Ryan told him that Laurent Girard was involved in recruiting young people in Azerbaijan to work for the French intelligence services, offering them cooperation as agents, and that he had made the same offer to Azad Mammadli.
He also stated that Martin Ryan told him the Baku Francophonie Association attracted French and French-speaking individuals in Baku by organizing various entertainment events.
Witness U.A. stated that when Martin Ryan’s parents came to Baku during the winter of 2022, he was invited to their home. During that visit, he met Martin Ryan’s parents and a person named Laurent Ledit at Martin’s residence. At that time, Martin Ryan introduced Laurent Ledit to him as an employee of the French Embassy. The witness added that Laurent Ledit behaved rather coldly toward him, and as a result, he did not maintain any further contact with him.
Another witness, H.A., stated in his testimony that he met Martin Ryan about four or five years ago through Z.M., with whom he was working at the time. He said that during a lunch break, Z.M. invited his friend Martin to join them at one of the cafés in Baku. The witness noted that although Martin was a French citizen, he was able to speak Azerbaijani and introduced himself in Azerbaijani at that meeting before continuing his conversation with Z.M. in French.
He said that afterward, he met Martin around 10–15 more times while spending time with Z.M. The witness explained that his work involved buying, repairing, and reselling computers for profit. Z.M. once told him that Martin needed a computer, and at that time, he happened to have one available for sale. About 10 days after that conversation, Z.M. called him and said Martin wanted to buy the computer, inviting him to meet at a café in Baku. During that meeting, Martin purchased the computer.
He emphasized that he never met Martin alone — Z.M. was always present at their meetings. One day, Z.M. called him and said that a keyboard had been given to Martin, asking whether it was possible for the keyboard to contain a “chip.” The witness replied that he would need to inspect the keyboard to determine that. However, neither Z.M. nor Martin later brought him the keyboard to check.
Witnesses R.Q., R.B., H.T., and E.C., who were recognized as witnesses in the case, confirmed the statements they had previously given during the investigation in accordance with the nature of the case.
Witness R.B. stated that when he asked Martin Ryan, to whom he had rented an apartment, about his occupation, Martin initially said he was engaged in maritime activities. However, during a later casual conversation between them around 2023, when the same question was asked again, Martin said that he was involved in the import and sale of wine and other alcoholic beverages in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The next hearing is scheduled to continue on November 24 with the questioning of other witnesses.
Indictment
According to the indictment, there are strong suspicions that Martin Ryan carried out activities in various directions under instructions from the French intelligence service. These included obtaining information about:
● Weapons and ammunition produced in the Republic of Azerbaijan
● The equipping of the Azerbaijani Army during the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020
● Individuals serving or formerly serving in the Azerbaijani Armed Forces who could potentially be recruited
● Persons who studied abroad in French-language programs
● Foreign citizens and legal entities operating in Azerbaijan
● Possibilities of organizing covert money transfers through Azerbaijan to other countries on the orders of the French intelligence service
● Azerbaijan’s relations and cooperation plans with the United Kingdom, Algeria, Türkiye, Pakistan, Iran, China, Somalia, the Central Asian states, and other countries
● Military cooperation plans and information on imported weaponry
It was noted that the accused were arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) on December 4, 2023. Martin Ryan, who was the general director of “Merkorama” LLC, has been charged under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan (espionage).
According to the indictment, Martin Ryan was recruited for secret cooperation and used as an agent-spy by employees of the DGSE (General Directorate for External Security of France), who were later declared persona non grata and expelled from Baku.
In the same criminal case, Azerbaijani citizen Azad Mammadli has been charged under Article 274 of the Criminal Code (high treason).
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