Two more people, Hikmat Valiyev and Ramil Tagiyev, have been charged with blackmailing Russia-based businessman Emin Akhundov, a co-founder of Peton Holding, out of money and property.
The investigation is being carried out by the Interior Ministry’s Main Department for Combating Organized Crime. Hikmat Valiyev was detained abroad and brought to Azerbaijan, where he has been placed in pre-trial detention. Ramil Tagiyev is free pending trial.
The case dates back several years. According to investigators, an acquaintance of Emin Akhundov’s, Ramil Tagiyev, took 870,000 manats from him after promising to build a recreation complex on a plot of land in one of the regions and transfer it to his name. Instead, Tagiyev spent the money on personal needs.
After learning of Akhundov’s financial situation, Tagiyev decided to seize his assets through intimidation. He teamed up with an acquaintance, Hikmat Valiyev, and Akhundov’s cousin, Vusal Akhundov.
The three gathered personal, family and business information about the businessman and threatened the safety of his family members, demanding $20 million. They managed to extract $3 million of that sum.
Several of Emin Akhundov’s properties were later transferred, again under threat, to the names of Hikmat Valiyev’s close relatives. A two-hectare plot of land in the Buzovna settlement, worth 3 million manats, was registered in the name of Valiyev’s wife, while another plot worth 1.38 million manats was registered to a different relative.
In addition, the businessman lost a plot of land worth 1.5 million manats in the Czech city of Karlovy Vary, as well as a 450,000-manat plot with a villa on it in the Shagan settlement of Baku’s Khazar district. In total, the money and property taken from Emin Akhundov exceeded 11 million manats.
For his role in the crime, the victim’s cousin, Vusal Akhundov, was arrested shortly after the incident and sentenced to 14 years in prison. The investigation into the case has since been reopened. Hikmat Valiyev and Ramil Tagiyev are now awaiting trial and, if convicted, face sentences of up to 14 years in prison.
Businessman Emin Akhundov has periodically been a subject of media discussion. Several years ago, reports emerged that he had transported suitcases of cash from Russia to Baku.
