BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 12. An Azerbaijani appeals court has reduced the prison sentence of Anass Derraz, vice president of French utility company SAUR, from 12 years to nine years.
The Baku Court of Appeals partially granted Derraz's appeal and amended a previous ruling issued by the Baku Court on Grave Crimes.
According to prosecutors, Derraz and Alexandre Benalla, the former head of security for the French presidency, were accused of soliciting large bribes and engaging in other criminal activities in connection with efforts to lift international sanctions on assets linked to Russian businessman Farhad Akhmedov.
The indictment alleges that the two men sought payments from Akhmedov in exchange for facilitating the release of his luxury yacht, Luna, from sanctions-related restrictions and enabling it to operate in international waters.
Prosecutors also said the defendants promised to help shield Akhmedov from international sanctions.
According to the case materials, the parties reached an agreement involving a total of $6.14 million in alleged bribe payments.
The appeals court's decision reduced Derraz's sentence but left the conviction otherwise unchanged.
