The website of the Head Police Department of Baku has released
information
pertaining to the search for former diplomat Arif Mammadov and former press secretary of the now-abolished SSAC (State Student Admission Commission) Elnur Naghizade.
According to the information on the website, Mammadov Arif Zahid oglu (b. 1964) is charged under Article 179.3.2 (embezzlement), and Naghizade Elnur Gahraman oglu (b. 1981) under Article 178.3.2 (fraud causing major damage) of the Criminal Code.
Arif Mammadov, from 2000-2006, led the diplomatic representation of Azerbaijan to the EU in Brussels, and from 2007-2012 headed the Permanent Mission to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
Since 2013, he has been a representative of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the EU. The criminal prosecution of Mammadov began after he criticized officials for the fire in May 2015 in Binagadi district of Baku, which killed 15 people.
