Azerbaijan's ambassador to the UK has rejected claims that one of Armenia's wealthiest men is facing a "kangaroo court", pointing to recent international legal rulings that support the legitimacy of the proceedings.
Elin Suleymanov told GB News that accusations about the trial of Ruben Vardanyan had been "dismissed summarily by the International Court of Justice very recently, about two months ago, and by the UN High Human Rights Council's group on arbitrary detentions".
The ambassador said these bodies had "completely dismissed all these accusations" and confirmed "that the due process is being followed".
Elin Suleymanov sat down with GB News to discuss the trial
GB News/State Border Service of Azerbaijan
The businessman made his fortune in Russia, where he established the country's first investment bank in the early 1990s and founded the prestigious Skolkovo business management school.
He later gained international prominence through his involvement with the Aurora Humanitarian Prize, which he set up alongside actor George Clooney.
However, a 2019 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project alleged that employees of his investment bank had built a financial system that laundered billions of dollars in the mid-2000s, though Vardanyan denied awareness of any criminal activities and was never charged.
Ambassador Suleymanov described Vardanyan as "a person who was parachuted into the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Moscow" and "an oligarch who made his billions in Russia".
Ruben Vardanyan, Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative has been imprisonedGETTYThe ambassador alleged that Vardanyan "supported separatist movement, financed terrorist activities, threatened Azerbaijani Government officials with death and so many things".
The ambassador emphasised that "court proceedings are very open. They are not closed. You could see them on TV. You could see how open it is that he has his defence."
He also highlighted that Vardanyan "is a person who is sanctioned by Ukraine, not Azerbaijan for supporting military action against Ukraine".
Suleymanov acknowledged understanding the emotions of Vardanyan's family, stating: "I can understand the feelings of a family. Of course, it's a family member. But that also means that certain issues with credibility of the people who petition you, because obviously they have a very clear self-interest."
He added: "I understand his family being emotional about it. I mean, who wouldn't be, but the court must take place."
WATCH: Azerbaijani Ambassador Elin Suleymanov on allegations Ruben Vardanyan has been imprisoned without access to a bible
Vardanyan's son David has described the proceedings as a "kangaroo trial" with "several undefined due process violations", telling GB News that the family learned of his father's detention "via social media on September 27, 2023".
David claimed this was done "very intentionally by the Azerbaijani Government to show every Armenian Christian that none of us are safe".
Human rights lawyer Jared Genser told GB News from Washington that Vardanyan had been denied access to a Bible, suggesting this contradicted Azerbaijan's narrative that the conflict was unrelated to religion.
However, Ambassador Suleymanov disputed this claim, stating: "He has free access to the library at the penetration facility. Most likely, he does have a Bible.
"But I have to tell you something which is very important, that to my knowledge, Vardanyan has never requested the Bible."
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