Azerbaijan’s UK ambassador rejects ‘kangaroo court’ claims in Vardanyan case

Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the UK has dismissed allegations that Armenian oligarch Ruben Vardanyan is being subjected to a “kangaroo court,” citing international rulings that back the legitimacy and transparency of the trial.

Ruben Vardanyan, a prominent Armenian oligarch, remains in detention in Baku, where he faces 42 charges, including war crimes, financing terrorism, and supporting illegal armed groups. His son recently described the ongoing trial as a "kangaroo court."

Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the UK, Elin Suleymanov, has pushed back strongly against that claim in his interview with GB news. He insists the legal process is transparent, lawful, and backed by international rulings. “Mr. Vardanyan is being tried on very clear charges,” Suleymanov said, citing recent decisions from both the International Court of Justice and the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which rejected any suggestion of due process violations.

“These proceedings are open to the public,” he added. “They’re broadcast on television. He has his legal defense team. Everything is transparent.”

Suleymanov described Vardanyan as someone “parachuted into Karabakh from Moscow,” accusing him of backing separatism, financing armed groups, and even issuing threats against Azerbaijani officials. He also noted that Ukraine has sanctioned Vardanyan for supporting Russia’s military actions.

Addressing the lengthy duration of the trial—over 550 days—Suleymanov said serious legal processes take time, emphasizing this is not a Soviet-style show trial. He claimed Vardanyan’s own lawyers have repeatedly asked for more time and funding to build their case.

The high-profile case is also drawing international commentary. U.S. political analyst Michael Doran weighed in on social media, calling Vardanyan a “crony of Putin” who was sent to Karabakh to challenge Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He also accused Vardanyan of using the Aurora Prize, a humanitarian award he co-founded, to influence public figures like George Clooney and Samantha Power.

Vardanyan, who founded Russia’s Troika Dialog bank, was a major figure in Moscow’s financial world and a supporter of Armenian national causes. An OCCRP investigation previously linked his firm to a vast money-laundering scheme, which allegedly benefited him and his family—allegations he denies.

In 2022, Vardanyan renounced his Russian citizenship and relocated to Karabakh, where he briefly served as state minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Azerbaijan accuses him of using that role to fund illegal armed groups, while analysts suggest his presence there aligned with the Kremlin’s strategic goals in the South Caucasus.

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