Baku developer given suspended sentence over unauthorised demolitions

A court in Azerbaijan has handed a three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence to a property developer who ordered the unauthorised demolition of six private properties in Baku.

Nurlan Mammadov, the executive director of Gold Residence LLC, was found guilty of deliberate property damage and abusing his official powers.

The court heard that the demolitions, which took place at a busy junction near the Nariman Narimanov metro station, caused damage totalling nearly 470,000 Azerbaijani manats (£218,000).

Mammadov avoided an immediate custodial sentence after expressing regret and paying full financial compensation to the six affected owners, who subsequently withdrew their legal complaints.

He had faced charges under Article 186.2.1 and Article 308.2 of the country's criminal code. He remained at liberty under police supervision throughout the investigation and trial.

Mammadov told the court that his company was engaged in a city-wide programme to replace unsafe and dilapidated buildings that "blemished" the capital's appearance.

He said the Baku City Executive Power, led by Mayor Eldar Azizov, had issued an official decree in 2024 to redevelop the site at the intersection of Fatali Khan Khoyski Avenue and Ahmad Rajabli Street.

According to Mammadov, the company had offered residents new apartments that were 20% to 30% larger than their existing homes.

While the majority of residents agreed to the terms, Mammadov said a small group of owners refused, making what he described as "absurd demands".

He also contested claims by one commercial owner that stock worth up to 700,000 manats had been destroyed inside a demolished shop, arguing that the business only sold low-value hardware goods.

According to reports by the independent broadcaster Radio Liberty, the affected property owners confirmed in court that they had reached a reconciliation agreement with Gold Residence LLC and no longer sought a custodial sentence for the executive.