The trial of Vilyam Hajiyev, who has been in pre-trial detention since May 2020, has ended.
On July 25, he was sentenced by the Baku Serious Crimes Court to twelve years in prison. Hajiyev was convicted for embezzlement, abuse of official powers, falsification and bribery, among other crimes.
Beyond that, the judges decided to confiscate assets and goods of the former chief executive. These include the money found in Hajiyev’s house and office when he was arrested, which sums up to more than one-million euros, an apartment in Baku, a garden house in Nardaran, a number of houses in Baku’s Absheron district, and different cars.
Before having his verdict read, Vilyam Hajiyev made a speech, remembering his times in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between 1992 and 1993, and his services during the time when he was the executive head of Goygol, Samukh and Imishli. Hajiyev recalled he was awarded by Heydar Aliyev “for his braver” when the ex-president was still the chairman of the Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan.
At the end of his speech, the former chief executive requested that his services to the state, the people and the president to be taken into account, and that a fair and humane decision should be made about his case.
“I have always said that I am a soldier of Ilham Aliyev. Today, I remain a soldier of Ilham Aliyev. I have served my country and people loyally. Today, I am with the president of my state and people”, he pleaded.
After the defendant’s speech, the judges met briefly to then announce the sentence of twelve years in prison to Hajiyev.
A wave of arrests of chief executives in Azerbaijan began in December 2020 with the arrest of former Yevlakh mayor Goja Samedlov. Vilyam Hajiyev was among them. Statements issued by the State Tax Inspectorate claim that during their tenure, the mayors misappropriated millions from the budget allocated for construction and improvement works in the regions, and received large bribes from citizens.
