Trial of those accused of spying for France begins

The State Security Service of Azerbaijan has completed the preliminary investigation of the criminal case against Martin Rian, who was arrested on charges of spying for France, oxu.az reports. The case has been sent to the Baku Court of Grave Crimes. Elmin Rustamov has been appointed Chairman of the Judicial Board.

The CEO of Merkorama LLC, Martin Rian, was arrested in Baku on December 4, 2023, on charges of espionage. According to the information, he was involved in secret cooperation and recruited by agents of the General Directorate of External Security of France, who were expelled from Azerbaijan as persona non grata.

A citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azad Mammadli, is also accused of treason in the criminal case.

It is noted that on December 20, 2023, after the exposure of an extensive spy network and a number of service failures, the head of the General Directorate of External Security of France (DGSE) Bernard Emier was dismissed from his post.

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