Investigation into fire at Republican Perinatal Center completed

The investigation into the fire at the Republican Perinatal Center, in which 7 newborns died and 4 more were injured, has been completed, Report informs citing the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office. On September 9, the case was sent to the Baku Court of Grave Crimes.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the damage caused by the fire amounted to 361 thousand manats.

This incident occurred on January 9, 2024, when a criminal case was initiated. During the preliminary investigation conducted by the Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office, reasonable suspicions arose that after the appointment of Mehriban Abasguliyeva as director of the Center on December 27, 2022, the number of patients admitted to the center doubled. All this led to an additional load on the center’s electrical network and the subsequent fire.

It was also established that Abaskulieva, the head of the department, Hamlet Mustafayev, and the head of auxiliary services, Elnur Akhmedli, did not eliminate the violations, despite the relevant instructions of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Abasguliyeva was charged under Articles 308.2 and 225.3 of the Criminal Code, Mustafayev and Akhmedli – under Article 225.3.

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