UPDATE ON DETAINED EX-MINISTER: PROPERTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 001828 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL/AE AND EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2016 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM AJ SUBJECT: UPDATE ON DETAINED EX-MINISTER: PROPERTY IMPOUNDED, TRIAL DATE STILL NOT SET Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION JASON P. HYLAND PER 1.4(B,D) ¶1. (SBU) On December 12, a Baku court ruled in favor of impounding the property of detained former Minister of Economic Development, Farhad Aliyev. Head of the Azerbaijani State Property Registration Service, Arif Qarasov, told the press that according to the court ruling, because Aliyev "officially owns no property," his relatives' property would be impounded. Aliyev's brother told us that neither his family nor Aliyev's lawyers have received documentation of this decision. Human rights activist Rena Sadaddinova told us that the property of several of Aliyev's relatives has already been impounded. ¶2. (C) One of Aliyev's attorneys explained to us that the former Minister's property had actually been legally impounded in December 2005, but because the authorities did not send Aliyev and his attorneys the relevant documentation, they had not been aware of the decision. According to this attorney, the authorities refused to respond to written inquiries regarding the legal status of family members' property. In addition, he said that Aliyev's lawyers and family have been kept in the dark about the entire investigation process. Member of Parliament (MP) and Chair of the Committee to Protect Farhad and Rafig Aliyev's Rights Jamil Hasanli said that the court's decision to impound property belonging to Aliyev's family members violates Azerbaijan's civil code and international commitments. Although a trial date has not been set, MP Samad Seyidov told us that he expects the trial to be open to observers, based on an agreement worked out between the GOAJ and the Council of Europe. ¶3. (C) Representatives of the local chapter of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the ICRC has not visited Aliyev since September. They noted that at the time of the September visit, Aliyev seemed to be in better condition than most detainees. Aliyev, who suffers from heart problems and high blood pressure, was one of several prominent GOAJ officials, including former Health Minister Ali Insanov and presidential aide Akif Muradverdiyev, arrested in October 2005 on charges of plotting a coup and official corruption. Aliyev's lawyers say that his health has worsened over the course of his detention. DERSE