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Akbar Novruz

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The Baku Grave Crimes Court has resumed the high-profile trial of Martin Ryan, a French national and General Director of “Merkorama” LLC, and Azad Mammadli, an Azerbaijani citizen, both accused of espionage in favor of France, Azernews reports.

Presided over by Judge Elmin Rustamov, the session included direct questioning of Martin Ryan, who is charged under Article 276 (espionage) of the Criminal Code. Responding to questions from his defense lawyer about his interactions with individuals linked to the French Embassy, Ryan stated:

“I am a businessman. Due to my work, I had to have contact with the embassy. I saw this as a positive thing. Thanks to this, I have established extensive contacts.”

When asked how he realized those individuals were likely members of the French secret services, Ryan answered:

“It was clear from the questions he asked that he was an employee of the secret services. It was also clear to the people who spoke to me after that. This is also reflected in the investigation materials.”

Despite acknowledging suspicions, Ryan justified maintaining the relationship:

“If you have a personal relationship with someone, it does not necessarily have to be for profit. My goal was to establish friendly relations and my safety. There is no question of position, profit, or financial resources.”

Ryan added that he did not report his concerns to Azerbaijani authorities, fearing it would be seen as betrayal by France:

“At the same time, I did not have enough evidence. But I had to inform the French Foreign Ministry about this. If I had the documents, I would not be in prison right now.”

During cross-examination by Azad Mammadli’s lawyer, Ryan revealed that he met Azad in 2019 through a mutual acquaintance, noting:

“Azad had special knowledge about Russia. That is why Azad was in their circle of interest. I introduced Azad to them.”

In his testimony, Azad Mammadli denied all allegations of espionage, saying:

“I did not provide information for the French Embassy, ​​I did not spy or carry out assignments. Although they tried to do so, I did not respond positively to those individuals.”

Mammadli rejected claims that he had ever collaborated or agreed to cooperate with French officials, calling Ryan’s previous testimony false. He stated:

“Martin Ryan gave false testimony during the investigation. He stated in his testimony that I had provided information to the French Embassy employees about several employees of the university where I studied in Russia. However, this did not happen.”

Addressing one of the accusations related to strategic security, Mammadli said:

“I met with Martin when I came to Baku in 2023. At that time, I expressed my subjective opinions to him about the [Zangezur] corridor. I told him that if this corridor is opened, I want European troops here, not Russian ones.”

Mammadli emphasized that he never sought French citizenship and was not offered it. He also portrayed himself as a victim, stating:

“In addition to being the accused in the case, I am also a victim. Because Martin used me to fulfill the tasks given to him illegally, and trapped me. My personal information was obtained from me without permission.”

He further alleged that Ryan involved nine Azerbaijani citizens through “artificial friendships,” and added:

“I regret that I did not inform the Azerbaijani special services about this in a timely manner.”

Both defendants were arrested on December 4, 2023, following an investigation by the State Security Service (SSS). The charges accuse Martin Ryan of acting under orders from the DGSE (French General Directorate for External Security) and of recruiting Mammadli and others before being declared persona non grata and expelled from Baku.

The next hearing is scheduled for May 19.