26 May 2018, 20:29
Law enforcers accuse Azerbaijani opposition of money laundering
Three detained activists of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) and a Russian citizen who was arrested earlier were actors of a money laundering scheme, says the today's release of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 25, law enforcers detained Agil Magerramov, a member of the PFPA's Presidium, Ruslan Nasirli, the chairman of the Mejlis of the PFPA's youth committee, and Babek Gasanov, the head of a PFPA's district organization.
On May 9, Salekh Rustamov was arrested in Azerbaijan on charges of illegal drug trafficking. His relatives have stated that he had pleaded guilty under torture, and asked for help from the Russian Embassy.
According to the joint statement of the GPO and the MIA, Salekh Rustamov was engaged in monthly raising money from citizens of Azerbaijan doing business in Russia to support the activities of the PFPA. "In general, 412,000 US dollars were transferred for the activities of the PFPA," the release said, specifying that during the interrogations Gasanov, Nasirli and Magerramov confessed to receiving money sent from Moscow, stating that they transferred these funds to Ali Kerimli, the PFPA leader, and other party functionaries.
All of them have been brought to criminal liability under the articles "Illegal entrepreneurship with extraction of large-scale incomes" and "Legalization of money obtained by criminal means as members of an organized grouping".
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
