5 persons convicted in Azerbaijan for espionage in favour of Russia

Today, the Court on Heavy Military Crimes of Azerbaijan has finalized the process on the case of a group of former securities of the Baku Airport, accused of cooperating with Russian special agencies.

The court sessions were closed for the public. According to the materials of the investigation, the convicts kept contacting the Russian FSB (Federal Security Bureau) since 1993 by using their nicknames Andrei, Igor and Valentine to communicate with their espionage bosses. They delivered data of special state importance to Russian special agencies, materials on strategic pipelines and transport communications, information on high-ranking foreign delegations visiting Azerbaijan, and photos of Azerbaijani special officers. By using technical appliances, they manage to tap the territory of the whole Baku Airport, including the hall where the President held meetings with the government members and foreign delegations.

The court has sentenced the main defendant - Emil Suleimanov, former security head of the Baku Airport, - to 15 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property and serving the punishment in a strict custody colony. Three other former airport securities - Tamerlan Mikailov, former chief of the operative service, and engineers Takhir Asadzade and Faik Guliev, - were sentenced to imprisonment for the terms from 2 to 2.5 years. Rafet Aliev, Colonel-Lieutenant of the Ministry of National Safety (MNS), was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment.