200,000 manats for dropping tax inspections: three officials arrested

In Azerbaijan, the investigation has been completed into a criminal case against three officials of the State Tax Service accused of taking bribes from entrepreneurs totaling 200,000 manats.

As 1news.az reports citing APA, the investigation was conducted by the Main Department for Combating Corruption under the Prosecutor General on the basis of information received from the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy.

According to the investigation, the deputy head of the Main Department for Operational Tax Control and Organization of Accounting for Baku, Eldeniz Ahmadov, the deputy head of the Territorial Assignment Department, Rustam Mirzoyev, and the head of the 4th division of that department, Kanan Mammadov, received funds in May 2026 from a number of entrepreneurs working in one of the capital's shopping centers.

The investigation believes that the total amount of the bribes was 200,000 manats. The money was allegedly handed over in exchange for refraining from conducting tax inspections, not imposing fines, and performing other actions in the interests of the entrepreneurs.

On the basis of the evidence collected, all three have been charged under Articles 311.3.1 and 311.3.3 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, which provide for liability for taking a bribe on a large scale by a group of persons by prior conspiracy.

At the request of the investigative body and on the submission of the prosecutor exercising procedural oversight of the investigation, the Binagadi District Court chose arrest as the measure of restraint for the accused.

The criminal case has been sent for consideration to the Baku Court on Grave Crimes.