The trial of the criminal case against the director of the news agency “Salam News” and “Interaz” Matlab Bagirov has been held.
The “Report” reports that the witnesses testified at the court session chaired by Judge Leyla Asgarova-Mammadova at the Baku Serious Crimes Court.
Ramil Hasanov, who was questioned as a witness in the trial and worked as a cameraman for Interaz television, said that he took the money received during the filming to the company:
“There was foreign currency among the money. Salaries were paid with that money.”
Süreyya Mammadova, who worked as an accountant for television, said that she was not closely involved in the process of paying employees’ salaries. The judge then announced the accountant’s statement to the preliminary investigation:
“During my work, 171,000 and 219,000 manats of money came into the canal from abroad, from an undeclared source.”
Mirjalal Mammadov, who works as an IT specialist at the Salam News agency and Interaz, said that he initially received a salary of 800 manats, and then 880 manats.
Part of the salary was awarded officially and the rest unofficially.
He said that he and his friend went to collect money on the instructions of Matlab Bagirov, the TV director. Their salaries were paid through these funds. These funds were in dollars.
“We used to give that money to Mrs. Rena. Then the money was converted into manats and the salaries were paid. When the salary arrived, there was discussion in the office that the salary money came from a foreign country,” the witness said.
Rena Alakbarova, editor-in-chief of the Salam News agency, who testified as a witness in court, said that salaries were paid in cash:
“I didn’t know why the salaries were handed over in person. These were the instructions from the management of the news agency.”
It should be noted that Matlab Bagirov, known as “the pilgrim Matlab”, was detained on January 30 last year. The State Tax Service of the Ministry of Economy recognized him as a victim of the criminal case.
Article 162-1.1 of the Criminal Code (involvement of a large number of employees in the performance of any work (service) before the employment contract (contract) comes into legal force), Article 167-3.1 (storage of extremist religious materials), 193.2.2- He was charged with Articles 193-1.3.2 (legalization of large amounts of money obtained through crime) and 213 (tax evasion) and other articles.
