BAKU, November 4 (RIA Novosti, Gerai Dadashev) - The Azerbaijani president expressed in a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Friday bewilderment and regret over the release of Rasul Guliyev, ex-speaker of Azerbaijan's parliament, from prison in Ukraine.
"Azerbaijani society is bewildered by and regrets the release from Ukrainian prison of Rasul Guliyev, who is accused in our country of embezzling $117 million and is on the international wanted list as a member of international mafia," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
Guliyev was detained at Ukraine's Simferopol airport on October 17 at Azerbaijan's request, but the city's court ruled October 20 to release him.
Gulieyev, charged with embezzling funds when he was the head of Baku's main oil refinery in the early 1990s and with plotting unrests in Azerbaijan, has lived as an emigre in the United States since 1996.
Guliyev intends to run for parliament in Azerbaijan at the elections that will take place on November 6.
