ABA TV closed down

President of a private television company ABA Faig Zulfugarov has decided to close it since Tuesday, according to the company's public relations manager Hikmat Alizadeh. F. Zulfugarov went into hiding outside Azerbaijan several months ago following the arrest of the company's financial director Shahin Safiyev on charges of tax evasion.

The Ministry of Taxes press-service announced Tuesday that its investigation department had intercepted a report suggesting that on Zulfugarov's instruction the illegally purchased equipment totaling AZM1.5 billion would be taken out of the television company's studios in the early hours of July 17.

Therefore, the ministry's operational department team managed to detain two trucks loaded with television equipment while they were leaving the ABA offices under the cover of darkness. Investigation is underway.