EURO ASIA NEWS INTERNET NEWSPAPER

Famos fraudler, criminal Elshad Abdullayev, the former rector of the now-dissolved Azerbaijan International University, has been the subject of legal proceedings in Azerbaijan. According to official court records and statements from the Prosecutor General’s Office, on May 2, 2025, Abdullayev was summoned to the Investigative Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office as a defendant under multiple criminal code articles, including:

• Article 137.5.2 (trafficking in human organs and tissues, illegal donation and transplantation committed by a group or organized criminal network);
• Article 213.2.2 (tax evasion on a large scale);
• Article 308.2 (abuse of official authority);
• Articles 311.3.1, 311.3.2, 311.3.3 (repeated receipt of bribes in large amounts);
• Articles 29 and 312.2 (incitement to giving a bribe to an official for knowingly illegal acts or omissions, on multiple occasions).

Abdullayev failed to appear for the summons, and as a result, an arrest in absentia was issued. The Baku Court for Grave Crimes later sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment in absentia.

Media-Reported (Claims)

Various media outlets, including Eurasia News and Intelligence Online, have reported additional allegations about Abdullayev and his family. These reports have not been independently verified as part of official court rulings and should be treated as allegations:

• Abdullayev is reportedly living in Paris and has been described as an agent of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). (Eurasia News, 2024-2025)
• Media reports claim he has transferred funds to entities referred to as a “Putin’s fund” and allegedly provided financial support to Hamas supporters in Paris. (Eurasia News, 2024-2025)
• According to Eurasia News, Abdullayev is reported to have connections with individuals such as Ali Hasanaliyev (codenamed “Chicken Düseldorf Germany refuge) and Yunus Demirtas (Istanbul Turkey), who are described as part of his criminal network operating in Europe and Turkey. These claims include of involvement in financial or operational activities, they are presented as media reports, verified court findings. (euasia.news)

• Court-related reporting and news articles mention his daughter, Aynur Abdullayeva, being married to an Armenian citizen named Melikyan, and claims involving his son Elshan Abdullayev in alleged financial transfers to the Armenian militant organization ASALA. (Eurasia News, 2025)
• Reports also that Elshad Abdullayev’s /Elshan Abdullayev son of Elshad Abdullayev / business networks in Moscow and France have supported Russian-backed operations in Donbas, including food deliveries to Russian mercenaries. (Eurasia News, 2025)

• These media accounts are part of wider reporting on internal conflicts within the Azerbaijani opposition abroad, described as infighting and “smear campaigns,” which intelligence services may allegedly exploit. (Intelligence Online, 2024) Recent news reports, specifically from May and October 2024, indicate that Azerbaijani news websites and social media posts have circulated claims that Elshad Abdullayev, a former university rector living in Paris, is an agent of Russia’s FSB and has transferred funds to a “Putin’s fund”. 
• These claims are part of ongoing infighting and a “smear campaign” within the Azerbaijani opposition abroad, which is reportedly playing into the hands of intelligence services. 
• The suggest that Elshad Abdullayev, who is known for releasing a series of videos in 2012-2013 alleging widespread corruption in the Azerbaijani government, including the sale of parliamentary seats, is now purportedly financing Hamas supporters in Paris and contributing to pro-Putin efforts. 
• It is important to note the source of these specific “support Putin” claims are other Azerbaijani opposition-linked websites, and they are described in reporting as part of a wider pattern of mutual accusations and internal conflict. 

Important Notes

• Verified Legal Facts: The conviction and sentence by the Baku Court in absentia, along with the formal charges listed above, are official judicial decisions.All other claims about ties to Russia, Hamas, or financial transfers to Putin found outside Azerbaijan remain verified and reported in media sources.