Judge recused in court process on criminal case of N. Kerimov

ON 10 January, 2017 the Baku Court of Grave Crimes commenced a trial for Nardaran resident Natiq Karimov and the former chairman of Azerbaijan Islamic Party, Ingilab Ahadov, who are both charged with treason.

During the trial, judge Eldar Ismayilov said he wants to recuse himself from considering the case.

The judge said that during the familiarization with the case, it was revealed that the investigation had been conducted by the State Security Service. “My son Emil Ismayilzade is a member of the investigative team. In this case, the law does not allow the case to be considered under my chairmanship,” he added.

Ismayilov’s proposal was upheld by other judges. The criminal case will be sent to the chairman of Baku Court of Grave Crimes for consideration.

In serious investigative operations, the State Security Service has discovered reasonable suspicions of Nardaran resident Natig Karimov of having worked for foreign special service agencies for a long time, and having spied and committed treason against the state security of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Stated Security Service detained Karimov as a suspect and he was sentenced by a court to pretrial detention on charges of treason (Article 274) on January 7, 2016. His pretrial detention was later commuted to house arrest.

The Security Service found Azerbaijani citizen Ingilab Ahadov guilty of spying to a foreign special service and carrying out the tasks assigned to him after coming into secret contact with that agency in 2011, and of committing state treason against the Republic of Azerbaijan. He was charged with treason (Article 274) after being detained as a suspect by the Service’s Main Investigation Department on 27 January 2016. A court chose a preventive measure against him in the form of arrest. 

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