According to the indictment announced against the accused persons in the criminal case, Abbasov Abbas Aydin oglu and Ibrahimbeyov Rustam Mammad Ibrahim oglu, who were co-founders and leaders of the organization established by foreign special services to interfere in political processes in Azerbaijan, registered on July 4, 2012, in a foreign country under the name "Union of Russian Azerbaijani Organizations" and referred to as the "Billionaires' Union," as well as Mehdiyev Ramiz Anvar oglu, chairman of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP) Karimli Ali Amirhuseyn oglu, party members - Gahramanli Fuad Ali oglu, Zayidov Ganimat Salim oglu, and others, conspired to violently seize state power and forcefully alter the existing constitutional order of the state.
Thus, after establishing an organization called the "National Council of Democratic Forces" (National Council), which nominated foreign citizen Rustam Ibrahimbeyov in the 2013 presidential elections of the Republic of Azerbaijan, they engaged in activities aimed at instigating mass riots for the violent seizure of state power, disobeying the lawful demands of government representatives, and disrupting public order, transport, enterprises, institutions, and organizations, with financial assistance and other forms of organizational support from foreign special services. Furthermore, for this purpose, they directed monetary funds amounting to 933,828.40 manats, received through APFP member Ibrahim Mammad Aziz oglu and others for attracting people from various regions of the republic, as well as material resources obtained from Ramiz Mehdiyev and Abbas Abbasov, towards committing the aforementioned acts.
According to technical evidence appended to the criminal case materials, members of the organization referred to as the "Billionaires' Union" were given instructions to send Azerbaijani citizens working under their command or otherwise under their patronage in the foreign country where they resided to Azerbaijan during the 2013 presidential elections, and to ensure that each of them, by involving their relatives and close ones in Azerbaijan, would be used in rallies and mass riots in accordance with the instructions of the foreign special service.
It was revealed that, as a result of preliminary negotiations and in accordance with the wishes of authorized persons of a relevant foreign state, the "National Council" requested support for its activities in a secret letter addressed to the leadership of that foreign state in 2013, and it was proposed to exert pressure on the Azerbaijani state to implement the "reforms" carried out in that country in Azerbaijan as well.
According to the aforementioned indictment, Ganimat Zayidov, starting from early 2013, secretly contacted and negotiated with representatives of a foreign country's special services on behalf of Ali Karimli, appealed for the use of the extensive organizational and special capabilities of foreign special services to bring him to power in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and in return, promised to ensure the strategic interests of the foreign state in Azerbaijan by detailing specific points, and the parties also agreed that if Ali Karimli came to power, the Republic of Azerbaijan would gradually become a full member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
At the same time, according to the indictment, Ali Karimli, continuing his criminal acts in accordance with the general agreement previously reached with the aforementioned individuals, when Azerbaijani citizens marched in Baku on the night of July 14-15, 2020, against Armenia's aggressive war in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and in support of the army, gave instructions to Fuad Gahramanli and others to join the march participants by forming small groups with persons representing the party, then to create a chaotic situation by replacing patriotic slogans with provocative calls, to take advantage of this situation to control the crowd, to seize the administrative buildings of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan and "Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting" CJSC, and to declare the seizure of power through mass media.
Furthermore, in August-September 2025, Ramiz Mehdiyev submitted a written material he prepared in a relevant foreign language under the title "Proposals on the Reorganization of the State Governance System," containing secret plans and directions of activity against state power, to Ali Karimli on September 27, 2025, through his assistant Amirov Eldar Gurban oglu and others, for the purpose of jointly agreeing on the issues stipulated in that document, and on October 3, 2025, sent the final edited copy of the aforementioned writing to high-ranking officials of the special services of a foreign state with whom he had previously personally contacted, through employees of "Sharq-Garb" OJSC, which he actually owned; the said transmission was technically recorded.
With these actions, Ramiz Mehdiyev committed acts aimed at seizing state power with the help of foreign special services and forcefully altering the constitutional order, and committed treason by assisting representatives of a foreign state contrary to the state security interests of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Furthermore, Ramiz Mehdiyev legalized more than 17,000,000 manats of funds obtained through criminal means by October 13, 2025.
For their participation in the aforementioned criminal acts, Abbas Abbasov, Ali Karimli, Fuad Gahramanli, Mammad Ibrahim, and Ganimat Zayidov were brought to justice as accused persons under Article 278.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan (actions aimed at the violent seizure or retention of power, as well as the forceful alteration of the state's constitutional order), Eldar Amirov under Articles 32.5, 278.1 (aiding actions aimed at the violent seizure or retention of power, as well as the forceful alteration of the state's constitutional order), and Ramiz Mehdiyev under Articles 193-1.3.2 (legalization of a large amount of property obtained through criminal means), 274 (treason), and 278.1.
Since Abbas Abbasov, Fuad Gahramanli, and Ganimat Zayidov were outside the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and were hiding from the investigation, a search was declared for them, and a preventive measure of arrest in absentia was chosen by the court.
Investigations into the criminal case are ongoing.
