Azerbaijani opposition figure convicted in fraud case

A Baku court sentenced Anar Asadli, chairman of the disbanded Elevation Party, to 4.5 years in prison for fraudulently embezzling money from four people.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, in April 2023, Anar Asadli, chairman of the Elevation Party, was arrested and charged with fraud. The investigation was launched following complaints from two people who told police that Asadli had fraudulently embezzled $150,000 and $10,000 from them. Asadli claims that he has no debts to the victims.

On May 22, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Anar Asadli to four years and six months in prison, Meydan TV reported on its website.

Anar Asadli was charged with fraud against four people. Among the victims are Ogtay Gasimov, an aide to former President Abulfaz Elchibey, and Ilham Huseynov, the former head of the Zangilan executive branch.

Asadli denied the charges, claiming he had not embezzled anyone else's money and that the incident was a misunderstanding. Following his arrest, he also announced that the party he led had suspended its activities, the newspaper writes.

On January 9, Ogtay Gasimov testified in court that Asadli had taken $150,000 from him. According to Gasimov, he initially gave Asadli $50,000, which Asadli promised to invest in buying and selling real estate in Istanbul. Gasimov then gave Asadli more money to participate in a hospital construction project awarded through a tender. Following his testimony, a verbal altercation broke out between Asadli and Gasimov.

In the 2020 snap parliamentary elections, Asadli ran for deputy from the Zangilan-Gubadli constituency. After the vote, Asadli alleged fraud and submitted materials to the Central Election Commission. After the elections, in July 2020, Asadli became one of the founders of the "Elevation" party, which was registered a year later.

In February 2020, the OSCE stated that violations during the vote count in Azerbaijan give reason to doubt the integrity of the results. The "Caucasian Knot" prepared a report "Key Points on the 2020 Snap Parliamentary Elections in Azerbaijan".