The next court session was held on the criminal case of the director and department heads accused in connection with the fire at the Republican Perinatal Center, in which seven infants died.
Modern.az reports that during the ongoing proceedings chaired by Judge Leyla Asgarova-Mammadova at the Baku Court for Grave Crimes, it was stated that applications from two victims had been submitted to the court.
One of these victims stated that they had no complaint or claim against all the accused, while the other stated they had no complaint or claim only against the defendant Mehriban Abasguliyeva.
Mehriban Abasguliyeva stated in her testimony that she was appointed director of the center on December 27, 2022:
"I was in office until the fire occurred at the center. On the night of the incident, they called from the emergency department and reported a fire. I also called the executive director of TƏBİB and the firefighters about the incident. They said that firefighters were involved in the area. When I arrived there, we were engaged in the evacuation of patients and staff. The executive director of TƏBİB was also there. Prosecutor's office employees came to the scene and demanded documents from me, and then asked me to come to the investigation department. I and about 15 employees of the center went to the Investigation Department of the General Prosecutor's Office to give testimony. Due to the stress and fatigue I experienced during the incident, I was unable to give testimony and signed the documents presented. Also, while I was there, I could not contact my lawyers."
According to Mehriban Abasguliyeva, she was later summoned again to the Investigation Department of the General Prosecutor's Office and informed that she was provided with a lawyer at the state's expense:
"Although I had the means to hire a lawyer with my own funds, they provided me with a lawyer at the state's expense. Then I was brought to criminal responsibility. At that time, my health was not good, so I signed every document presented. I have worked in the healthcare system for 30 years. After the house arrest and removal from office measures taken against me, I was able to contact the lawyers I hired at my own expense."
M. Abasguliyeva further added that it was clearly visible from the camera in the room that the fire started not from an electrical outlet, but from an incubator:
"Specialists did not inspect the incubators. A malfunction could have occurred three months ago, or three hours ago. How would I know that a malfunction occurred in an incubator while I was at home? In the neonatal intensive care unit, doctors use special clothing, while I was in the center in ordinary attire. I was not supposed to work alone instead of 439 people. The accusation against me states that four people involved in extinguishing the fire suffered minor health damage. I should note that criminal liability for causing minor health damage to a person due to negligence is not applied."
According to M. Abasguliyeva, although she had no obligations regarding fire safety, she also eliminated problems arising from this issue at the Republican Perinatal Center:
"When Maryam Rzayeva was the director, the evacuation staircase was used as a garbage dump, and flammable materials were accumulated there. When I was appointed to the position, I had that place cleaned."
The next hearing is scheduled for February 25.
It should be noted that a criminal case was initiated under various articles of the Criminal Code regarding the fire that occurred at the Republican Perinatal Center on January 9, 2024, and the preliminary investigation was entrusted to the Investigation Department of the General Prosecutor's Office.
During the investigations, it was determined that as a result of the fire that occurred in the ward on the fourth floor, where the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Center's Anesthesiology, Resuscitation, and Intensive Therapy Department is located, seven newborn infants died, four people were injured, and the institution suffered a total material damage of 361,000 manats.
Mehriban Abasguliyeva, who served as the director of the Center, is being prosecuted as an accused person under Articles 308.2 (abuse of official powers leading to grave consequences) and 225.3 (violation of fire safety rules causing the death of two or more persons through negligence) of the Criminal Code, while Hamlet Mustafayev and Elnur Ahmadli, who served as department heads of the same center, are being prosecuted under Article 225.3. (Oxu.Az)
