The former head of the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan, Ramiz Mehdiyev, has been found guilty of high treason, attempted forcible seizure of power, money laundering and accepting a bribe. The court sentenced him to 14 years' imprisonment suspended.
WHY MEHDIYEV WAS CONVICTED
As reported by the Telegram channel "Informator KZ", citing Azerbaijani media, the Baku Court for Serious Crimes delivered its verdict on 22 October 2026.
Mehdiyev was found guilty under four articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan:
- 193-1.3.2 — legalisation of property obtained by criminal means;
- 274 — high treason;
- 278.1 — actions aimed at the forcible seizure of power or changing the constitutional order;
- 311.3.3 — accepting a bribe on a large scale.
WHY THE SENTENCE WAS SUSPENDED
The court took into account the former official's age and state of health. On the basis of Article 70 of the Criminal Code, it was decided to treat the imposed sentence as suspended.
In addition, the court ordered the confiscation of Mehdiyev's property in favour of the state. A submission was also sent for consideration of the issue of stripping him of his state awards.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT RAMIZ MEHDIYEV
Ramiz Mehdiyev headed the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan from 1995 to 2019.
Azerbaijan's State Security Service opened a criminal case against the former senior official in October 2025.
We previously reported that on 22 October, Turkey detained former adviser to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Ertan Aydın as part of an investigation into a case concerning financial foundations. In total, law enforcement officers detained 31 people. The investigation is being conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
