İnformation of the Press service of the State Security Service

rehberlik
Official 29 November 2024

13:45

A criminal case has been initiated in connection with smuggling committed in a foreign country using diplomatic status.

A criminal case has been initiated by the State Security Service regarding the fact of participation of citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan in collaboration with citizens of other countries in the committing of smuggling between foreign states.

During the investigation, reasonable suspicions were established that Lieutenant Colonel Mammadov Gahraman Shamil oglu, who served as the Chief Assistant to the Military Attaché of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the United States of America, participated in the smuggling of a particularly large amount of gold bars transported from the United Arab Emirates to the Republic of Türkiye as part of a group of individuals who had previously conspired with another citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Gasimov Anar Ali oglu, and citizens of foreign countries.

Thus, Gahraman Mammadov, who holds a diplomatic status, following a prior agreement with others arrived in the Republic of Türkiye from the United States of America on November 22, 2024 and at the same day picked up a bag containing a particularly large amount of gold bars, which was earlier transported by Anar Gasimov from the United Arab Emirates and placed in a storage area outside customs control at Istanbul International Airport. He deliberately used his diplomatic passport, which confirms the privileges and immunities provided for members of the diplomatic staff and his official authority in violation of the interests of his service, and crossed the customs border at that airport without declaring those gold bars. Later, he was detained by Turkish law enforcement officers while driving a taxi to one of the hotels in Istanbul to hand over these gold bars to Anar Gasimov. During the inspection of the bag carried by Gahraman Mammadov, 70 kilograms of gold bars worth 10.220.900 (ten million two hundred twenty thousand nine hundred) manats were discovered and seized.

As a result of the investigation, another bag containing 14 kilograms of gold bars that had not crossed the customs border was discovered in the aforementioned storage area at the airport.

In addition, Anar Gasimov, who was suspected of participating in the crime of smuggling, was detained in the Republic of Türkiye and brought to criminal responsibility.

Gahraman Mammadov was brought to criminal responsibility under Articles 12.1, 206.3.2, 12.1-1, 206.3.3 (smuggling by a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan in a group of persons with prior collusion outside the country, using his official position) and 12.1-1, 341.1 (abuse of official powers or exceeding official powers by a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan outside the country) of the Criminal Code in connection with the ongoing criminal case at the State Security Service, and the Baku Military Court has chosen a preventive measure of arrest against him.

Currently, investigative and operational measures on the criminal case are continuing.