ALI INSANOV: PROPERTIES OF HEAL MINISTRY WERE PRIVATIZED BY ALIYEV FAMILY

Trial of former Health Minister, Ali Insanov continued in Baku Court of Appeals. Insanov has been granted retrial after recognition by the European Court of his right to fair trial. Pursuant to the decision of the European Court, the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan, on November 15, 2013 sent the case back to the Court of Appeal.



Strict security measures were in place for the trial. Journalists and other observers were required to take off their shoes during the pre-entry check.



Insanov thanked the head of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), Jamil Hasanli, who was attending the proceeding, for his support. Then, addressing the audience, he said: "Do not worry. Democracy is approaching borders of Azerbaijan like wildfire."



As in the previous hearings, Insanov was placed in a soundproof glass cage. Throughout the hearing, the judge repeatedly turned off Insanov's microphone when he was speaking about Ilham Aliyev, and other senior officials. The lawyer Shahverdi Agayev filed a petition to drop the criminal case, which was not granted.



Later on, seven of the eleven prosecution witnesses testified. They were members of the Ministry of Finance and other agencies and experts who gave opinion on the privatization of the assets of the Ministry of Health. The witnesses told that the value of the privatized assets was determined not by the Health Ministry, but by the Department on Privatization of the Ministry for Economic Development. Decisions on purchase and sell were not made by the Ministry Health, either.



Insanov further noted that while he was the minister, 59 properties were privatized. 32 of them were small. The rest 28 fairly large properties were privatized by the family of Aliyev."From privatization of 50,000 properties the budget received $ 500 million, while $ 30 billion were appropriated by the ruling family," said Insanov, when the judge immediately turned off his microphone.



"They are afraid of me, even when I am tied up. They want to kill me," said the former minister. Next he asked the judge: "I was arrested on the charge that a man appointed by me received a bribe. Then you should also arrest Ilham Aliyev, who appointed me."



Insanov said that two hectares of land belonging to the hospital named after Semashko have been seized by President Ilham Aliyev's cousin. "I opposed violations in privatization and they arrested me," said Insanov.



Concerning the accusations on the abuse of insulin, the ex-minister said that the chief of the chemist's department was Rafiq Mahmudov, former husband of the sister-in-law of Ilham Aliyev, and head of Baku chemist's department was Mehriban Aliyeva's uncle.



The trial was postponed until February 14.

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