Baku: The next court hearing has been held in the criminal case initiated by the State Security Service (SSS) against Martin Ryan, accused of espionage for France, and Azad Mammadli, charged with treason, APA reports. During the hearing held at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes under the chairmanship of Judge Elmin Rustamov, the state prosecutor requested that witnesses named in the criminal case who had not attended the hearings be summoned. The prosecutor stated that their questioning is of significance to the case. The defense side also agreed with the motion. The court granted the motion and scheduled the next hearing for March 16 for the questioning of witnesses.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the indictment reveals substantial suspicions concerning Martin Ryan's receipt of instructions and activities aimed at obtaining information on weapons and ammunition produced in the Republic of Azerbaijan. This includes details about the staffing of the Azerbaijani Army during the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020, individuals serving in or discharged into the reserve of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces who could potentially be recruited as contacts, and individuals educated in French abroad. Furthermore, it involves foreign nationals and legal entities operating in Azerbaijan, the organization of covert money transfers through Azerbaijan on the instructions of the French intelligence service, and relations between Azerbaijan and several countries, including the United Kingdom, Algeria, Trkiye, Pakistan, Iran, China, Somalia, and Central Asian states.

The accused persons were arrested on December 4, 2023. The State Security Service brought charges against Martin Ryan, the general director of 'Merkorama' LLC, under Article 276 (espionage) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Martin Ryan was allegedly used as an agent-spy by officers of France's DGSE (General Directorate for External Security), who had recruited him into covert cooperation and were later expelled from Baku after being declared persona non grata. In the same criminal case, alongside Martin Ryan, Azerbaijani citizen Azad Mammadli has been charged under Article 274 (treason against the state) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.