Azerbaijan Rejects Russia's Extradition Request

The extradition request from Russia for Elena Khakhaleva, a former judge of the Krasnodar region's court who has been arrested in Azerbaijan and is wanted internationally, has not been fulfilled. This was reported by her lawyer, Shakhla Gumbatova.

"The court denied the request for her extradition. Elena Khakhaleva's extradition to Russia has been rejected," said the former judge's lawyer, Shakhla Gumbatova.

It is noteworthy that Elena Khakhaleva, who is wanted in Russia, was arrested in January by employees of the Air Transport Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku. On January 24, the court imposed a 40-day detention as a precautionary measure. The precautionary measure was adopted to carry out the legal procedures related to her extradition.

The Russian side has issued a warrant for Khakhaleva on charges of fraud and abuse of official position, and the Don Rostov court has issued a decision for her arrest in absentia. The relevant authorities in Russia have submitted a request for the necessary documents regarding her extradition.

According to investigators, she allegedly embezzled around 1.2 million rubles through deceit and forged documents related to working hours. The Russian Investigative Committee decided to place Khakhaleva on the wanted list and announced her charges for fraud and official forgery on May 17, 2022. The Baku Court of Appeals examined Khakhaleva's appeal regarding the change of the precautionary measure. By the court's decision on February 4, it was decided to change the precautionary measure to the option of police supervision.