Macron's former security chief offered to release yacht for $6 million, according to testimonies

The trial of Anass Derraz, vice president of the French company SAUR with a multibillion turnover, continues in Baku on criminal charges initiated by the State Security Service (SSS).

According to Report, during a hearing at the Baku Court for Serious Crimes, presided over by Judge Farid Namazov, the defendant answered questions from the state prosecutor.

He stated that he assisted Farhad Ahmadov under a contract:

"I provided consulting services to Farhad Ahmadov regarding his affairs. To secure the release of his yacht from seizure, I met with lawyers and several other individuals. Although I am an engineer by training, I helped people with legal and technical issues. I also met with Ahmadov"s son about lifting the yacht"s arrest. My mission was to coordinate these processes and ensure the matter was resolved. I acted as their authorized representative and presented this mandate to both the investigation and the court."

Derraz noted that he was supposed to receive a bonus if the yacht was released:

"But everything went differently than planned, and the court did not lift the arrest. We met through mutual friends, later discussed the yacht issue, and signed a cooperation agreement. According to the contract, I was to handle legal, technical, and financial matters. Everyone there knew Alexandre Benalla (former head of security for the French president). I had no business with him. After leaving the French administration, Benalla worked in legal affairs in Dubai and also became involved in the case to free Farhad Ahmadov"s yacht."

Derraz stressed that the transferred funds were connected to his fee:

"I spent about five to six months on a contractual basis working on the affairs of Farhad Ahmadov and his son, devoting my time to it."

Later in court, testimony that Derraz had given during the investigation was read out.

The defendant said that Alexandre Benalla is a French citizen of Moroccan origin:

"In October 2018, my friends told me that a London court had seized billionaire Farhad Ahmadov"s yacht. I was asked to help. I said I could do it for money. During negotiations, Benalla also said he would use his connections to secure the yacht"s release. My task was to find lawyers and establish contacts with influential people. I was told that a month of the yacht staying at the dock cost a million dollars. We met at a hotel and signed a contract."

He added that the work involved lifting the yacht"s seizure and ensuring it could sail into international waters.

"Under the contract, Ahmadov was to pay $6.14 million for this. They offered me $1 million, but I refused. It was decided that I would receive $2.25 million, Benalla $3.29 million, and the rest would cover related expenses. Initially, $200,000 was transferred to my account, while Benalla received $400,000. Since the matter was not resolved, the remaining funds were not paid. According to the agreement, I was to negotiate with influential people about lifting the arrest and with lawyers about legal support. I only communicated with Benalla by phone. He claimed he would secure the yacht"s release. I later read in the press that Benalla had been prosecuted for accepting large bribes from billionaire Iskander Makhmudov, who lives in Russia."

The defendant added that a bank flagged the $400,000 transfer to Benalla as suspicious and blocked it.

"When asked about the source of the funds, Benalla said they were for freeing Farhad Akhmedov"s yacht. Bank employees checked online and saw the yacht was not under arrest, so they refused to process the payment. But I had no problems when I disclosed the source of the $200,000 sent to my account."

According to the judge, the trial will resume on October 2 with witness testimonies.