Colonel Mahir Shirvanov, sentenced to five years in prison in the 160 million manat embezzlement case at Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry, has been released by a local court. He is the former head of the ministry’s Procurement and Supply Department.
The court ruled that the unserved part of Shirvanov’s sentence, 5 months and 12 days, would be suspended. The colonel left prison as soon as the decision was announced. The judge said the convict had served three quarters of his sentence and had reformed.
Shirvanov was arrested in early 2022. He applied to the court for early release earlier this year, but at that time it was decided that he should serve the remaining 1 year and 2 months in custody.
The total damage to the state in the Defence Ministry corruption case is 160 million manats. The defendants have already paid back about 41 million manats.
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