Azerbaijan's Ex-Chief of Staff Under House Arrest

The Sabail District Court of Baku has decided to place one of the country's most influential officials, the former head of the presidential administration Ramiz Mehdiyev, under house arrest. This is reported by the "RIA Novosti" agency. The 87-year-old Mehdiyev, who headed the administration of the President of Azerbaijan for almost a quarter of a century, from 1995 to 2019, was considered one of the key figures and so-called "grey cardinals" of the country's political system.

His tenure coincided with a long period of strengthening Azerbaijani statehood, thanks to which he had accumulated enormous influence and leverage. By the court's decision, house arrest was chosen as a preventive measure for a period of four months. It is noteworthy that Mehdiyev is being prosecuted for particularly serious crimes. The charges against him include three of the most serious articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Specifically, the former high-ranking official is accused under Article 278.1 (actions aimed at seizing state power), which is, in fact, an accusation of an attempted coup d'état. The second charge is under Article 274 (high treason), which is considered one of the most serious crimes against the state.

The third charge relates to financial crimes and is brought under Article 193-1.3.2 (legalization of criminally obtained property), also known as money laundering. It is predicted that the case of Ramiz Mehdiyev will undoubtedly become one of the most high-profile trials in the modern history of Azerbaijan, given his role and weight in the country's governance system over the past decades. It is not excluded that other names will be mentioned in connection with this case.