The sentence of Mirgasim Mirishli, chief adviser of the Department for Work with Territorial Administration and Local Self-Government Bodies of the Absheron District Executive Authority, who has been in prison for two years, has been reduced.

According to Bizimyol.info, the former official, who had initially been sentenced to five years in prison by the Sumgayit Court of Grave Crimes, had his sentence reduced to three years by the Court of Appeal.

It should be noted that the 38-year-old Mirgasim Mirishli was detained on November 20, 2023, during an operation carried out by the Anti-Corruption Directorate. He was accused of demanding 30,000 manats — and ultimately receiving 25,000 manats — from a citizen in exchange for granting approval for construction works on agricultural land in the Absheron region, as well as for providing general protection.

By the verdict of the Sumgayit Court of Grave Crimes, Mirishli was found guilty under Article 311.3.3 of the Criminal Code (accepting a large-scale bribe). This article carries a sanction of eight to twelve years of imprisonment. However, the court applied Article 62 of the Criminal Code (imposing a lighter sentence than that prescribed for the crime) in his case, sentencing him to a reduced term of five years. Dissatisfied with the ruling, Mirishli filed an appeal, requesting that his actions be reclassified under Article 178 (fraud).

His defense lawyer also argued at the appellate hearing that Mirishli’s actions should be classified under Article 178. The lawyer stressed that his client had three young children, had no prior convictions, and was positively characterized both at work and in society. He requested that a non-custodial sentence be imposed.

The prosecutor, however, rejected the request to reclassify the charge from bribery to fraud, stating that the conclusion reached by the Sumgayit Court of Grave Crimes was well-founded. Nonetheless, the prosecutor noted that, considering Mirishli’s family situation and his dependent young children, he did not object to reducing the prison sentence from five years to four.

The panel of judges, chaired by Judge Rashadat Agayev, did not find it appropriate to reclassify the offense, but decided to reduce the original sentence by two years. As a result, the Sumgayit Court of Appeal lowered the former official’s sentence to three years.

Aytən, Bizimyol.info