Baku. Etibar Mammadov – APA. The Baku Court of Grave Crimes on Friday held a hearing on the case of the former head of the International Bank of Azerbaijan Jahangir Hajiyev and seven more people connected with him.
The accused, Ilgar Abdullayev, answered questions of the prosecutor. He noted that the loans which he had given by the order were paid off in July 2014.
“The terms had been set by the bank’s credit commission. By the order of the bank’s board, Jahangir’s driver Aydin Mehdiyev’s credit term was sometimes prolonged to 2014-15. I have not taken part in misappropriating any funds. I was uninformed of what the funs had been spent on because it was not for the branch to check it. I was being given orders on behalf of Jahangir Hajiyev by three persons – Emin Mustafayev, Anar Bakirov, and Anar Sultanov,” he said.
Another accused, Yusif Alakbarov, said he has worked at the bank from 2001 to 2012.
“I read the indictment but found no evidence. I had contacts with Anar Sultanov and Ilgar Abdullayev only. If so, what organized group can you talk about? I have never been to the office of Jahangir Hajiyev, not a single time. I had been a conditional convict before. The International Bank’s administration filed a complaint against me for appropriating an Arab customer’s funds. That’s why it sounds funny to me, how can you now accuse the bank’s director of misappropriation?” he said.
In his testimony, the accused, Mammad Jahangirov, said he has served as head of the bank’s Narimanov branch in 2001-2011 and the Senaye branch in 2011-2014.
He noted that all the loans had been allocated by the order of the bank’s board.
“The loans allocated in the name of Hajiyev’s driver Aydin Mehdiyev were allegedly directed to a metalworking plant in Ukraine,” said Jahangirov. “I don’t know exactly on what these loans were spent. I contacted Jahangir Hajiyev only two times. We could I do? We could write a memorandum to the general directorate on such risky lending. But, in doing so, we would have risked our job.”
In turn, Hajiyev said the loans allocated in the name of his driver were directed to the reinforcement of their metal business in Albania and Ukraine.
“Aydin Mehdiyev and Mammad Jahangirov were working on this issue together. But then there was a problem between them. Therefore Jahangirov changed his place of work,” said Hajiyev.
At this point, a dispute erupted between Jahangir Hajiyev and Mammad Jahangirov.
Jahangirov said: "Why are you telling a lie? I do have nothing to do with this business. I changed my job on a rotating basis.”
In his response, Hajiyev said: "I’m not telling a lie, and I wan to add that the loans covered by the indictment have nothing to do with Mammad Jahangirov.”
The trial will be resumed on Aug.29.
***
15:13
Baku. Etibar Mammadov – APA. The Baku Court of Grave Crimes on Friday resumed the trial on the case of the former head of the International Bank of Azerbaijan Jahangir Hajiyev and seven more people connected with him.
Hajiyev’s attorney Fakhraddin Mehdiyev complained of the trial taking place fast, noting that it prevents them from consulting with their defendants.
Convict Anar Sultanov said in his speech that he has worked in different positions at the International Bank from 1997 to 2004, and has been head of the bank’s central branch from 2004 to 2014. He added that he was authorized to give AZN 2,000 loan unsecured and AZN 5,000 secured, without the order of the bank’s board.
“Amounts higher than that used to be given by the order of the bank’s credit commission and board. After the decision of the general directorate, giving loans was largely technical by nature. Decisions of the board were obligatory on me,” he said.
Anar added that he confirms the testimony he had given to preliminary investigation.
He then answered questions of the prosecutor. Asked whether he used to give unlimited loan to Jahangir Hajiyev and others by a plastic card, Anar said they acted on whatever decision had come from board, confirming that Jahangir had instructed him about this work.
Anar also answered the prosecutor questions whether he had given loan to Jahangir’s driver Aydin Mehdiyev.
“Because Aydin Mehdiyev has lots of work, I sent the documents required for giving him loan to the general directorate. I gave loan only after the decision came from there. That loan had been closed in August 2009,” he said.
The public prosecutor asked if it was all right to give the driver AZN 9 million loan, Anar replied that he was subject to the board.
“I haven’t been in any group during the period I worked there, I have done my work ad haven’t appropriated anything. We used to execute whatever decisions came from the board,” Anar said.
Jahangir also asked Anar at which branch the persons mentioned by the prosecutor worked.
Anar said those persons were customs of the central branch and that credit samples had been stored there. Jahangir asked if Anar had been given any illegal order and the latter replied “No”.
Later on, convict Ilgar Abdullayev gave testimony, saying he had worked at the bank since 2004, and has been director of the central branch in 2014-15.
“I saw Jahangir only once – when he was appointed to this position at the meeting of the board. I haven’t been part of any organized group. I have only executed orders from the board,” he said.
Ilgar told the prosecutor that he had signed three credit contracts.
“The fact that all the three contracts were signed the same day is a pure coincidence. If you look into it, you will see that the decisions on signing those credits had been given at different times,” he said.
The process will be resumed in the second half of the day.
Those involved in the case are accused under articles 179.3.1, 179.3.2 (embezzlement on a large scale by an organized group), 308.2 (abuse of power, resulting in grave consequences), 309.2 (abuse of power, resulting in grave crimes), 313 (official forgery), 228.1 and 228.4 (illegal storage and carrying of firearms).
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
