The next court hearing in the criminal case of Fariz Maharramov, accused of cigarette smuggling, has been held.
Sea-news.az reports citing Oxu.Az that witness testimonies were heard at a session held in the Baku Court of Serious Crimes under the chairmanship of judge Huseyn Huseynli.
Witness C.A. stated that he did not know the defendant. He explained that he works as a driver and collected cargo from the Turkan port following a phone call from a person named Amil. The witness noted that he did not know what the cargo contained since the containers were sealed, and he was paid 140 AZN for such trips.
Another witness, Sh.M., stated that he works as an operator at the port and was only involved in unloading cargo from containers.
Witness A.A. also said he did not know Fariz Maharramov. He stated that after unloading the goods, he moved the container to the vessel and assumed that the cargo was being transported to Turkmenistan or Kazakhstan.
The next court session has been scheduled for October 16.
It should be noted that Fariz Maharramov is presented as a member of an organized group engaged in smuggling tobacco products lacking excise stamps. The criminal proceedings against him have been separated into an independent case.
A criminal investigation against Fariz Maharramov was initiated by the Main Anti-Corruption Department under the Prosecutor General. He was issued a final indictment under Articles 206.4, 213-1.2.1, and 213-1.2.3 of the Criminal Code, and a pre-trial detention measure was imposed on him by court decision.
