BAKU - Former Azerbaijani Presidential Administration chief Ramiz Mehdiyev has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, but the court suspended the custodial term after taking account of his age and health, according to a ruling announced on Oct. 27.
The Baku Court on Grave Crimes applied Article 70 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, which permits a suspended sentence, Report said. The proceedings were chaired by Judge Murad Aslanov.
The ruling, dated Oct. 22, also ordered the special confiscation of Mehdiyev’s property for the benefit of the state. The court further directed that a submission be made for authorities to consider stripping him of state awards.
Charges and Background
Mehdiyev was found guilty under Criminal Code articles covering the laundering of criminal proceeds, high treason, actions aimed at forcibly seizing power or changing the constitutional order, and aggravated bribery, according to the court record cited by Azerbaijani media.
The State Security Service opened the criminal case in October 2025. Prosecutors alleged that Mehdiyev was involved in a plan to seize power with the assistance of foreign intelligence services and that he laundered more than 17 million manats, or about $10 million, in criminal proceeds.
Mehdiyev headed Azerbaijan’s Presidential Administration from 1995 to 2019. He later served as president of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences from 2019 to 2022.
The verdict is a new development in the case and follows the opening of the trial in September and Mehdiyev’s expulsion from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party in October.
Source: Vesti Baku; Report.