Head of Azerbaijani NGO, ACSDA Feels Vindicated After Milan Court Acquits Luca Volontè on Money Laundering Charges

BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The President of the Association for Civil Society Development in Azerbaijan (ACSDA), Elkhan Suleymanov, says he feels "vindicated" following the acquittal of Italian politician Luca Volontè by a Milan Court on money laundering charges that were linked to Azerbaijan.

"The Milan Court has ended the money laundering trial against well-known European politician Luca Volontè, who became the unfortunate victim of slander and a smear campaign by various European organisations, institutions and the media for over two years," Suleymanov said. "After much suffering, Luca Volontè was finally acquitted by the Milan Court, which will hopefully put an end to these false allegations against Mr. Volontè and Azerbaijan."

Luca Volontè was accused of accepting bribes from Azerbaijan in exchange for supporting its government. He always denied wrongdoing. The Milan Court on Tuesday acquitted him on money laundering charges.

"To all those who supported this malicious slander campaign against Mr. Volontè, myself and my country, I do hope you accept this verdict and refrain from further attacks," said Suleymanov, who is also an Azerbaijani MP. "Instead, let us work together constructively to tackle the many challenges facing our volatile world."