Even Azeri journalists are now engaged in racketeering. The “Yeni Azerbaijan Dunyasy” chief editor Shahlar Veliev (resident of Sumgait), chief editor of “Guneshli Azerbaijan” and “Ganun and gercheklik” Eldar Askerov (resident of Shirvan) newspapers were extorting money from local businessmen, Day.az informs.

The residents of Guba region, businessmen Bakhtiyar Mamedov, Rufat Gurbanov, Zefa Masimov, Iskander Huseynov and Rovshan Babayev filed a complaint to the Head Department for Combat with Organized Crime at the Ministry of Internal Affairs about a group of journalists threatening them and squeezing the money.

The preliminary investigation disclosed, that Shahlar Veliev, Eldar Askerov, Sayad Askerov and Nushaba Kasumov demanding 1000 manats, threatened the businessmen with publishing a discreditable facts about the activities of “Guba”, “Ramin”, “Gosha chinar”, “Afsana” and “Rustam” cafés.

Based on the case, criminal proceedings are instituted according to the article 18.2.1 of the Azerbaijan Criminal Code (extortion made by group of persons by previous concert).