French national's sentence cut by three years in Azerbaijan: was it linked to Macron's call with Aliyev?
French national convicted in Azerbaijan
The Baku Court of Appeal has reduced the prison sentence of Anas Derras, vice-president for the Middle East at the French company SAUR, from 12 years to nine.
The court reached the decision after reviewing an appeal against a verdict handed down several months ago by the Baku Serious Crimes Court. Once Derras completes his sentence, authorities will deport him from Azerbaijan.
The development comes against the backdrop of an international arrest warrant issued for former French presidential security chief Alexandre Benalla and continuing tensions in Azerbaijani-French relations.
On 21 May, French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The Azerbaijani president’s account on X reported the call.
“President Emmanuel Macron called me today. During our telephone conversation, we reviewed issues on the agenda of Azerbaijan-France bilateral relations and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest. We also discussed regional and global developments,” the post said.
Macron’s call to Aliyev coincided with the decision to reduce Derras’s sentence. However, officials did not disclose the content of the conversation. Reports indicated that the discussion focused primarily on peace in the South Caucasus, regional stability and bilateral cooperation.
Was this merely a coincidence, or did it signal a deeper diplomatic understanding behind the scenes?
The case: a 2018 agreement and $6.14 million
According to Azerbaijan’s State Security Service, Anas Derras and Alexandre Benalla demanded a large bribe from Russian-Azerbaijani billionaire Farhad Akhmedov in 2018. In return, they allegedly promised to help remove international restrictions or a court-ordered seizure affecting his assets, particularly the luxury yacht Luna.
Investigators say the parties agreed on a payment of $6.14 million (10.438 million manats), structured as follows:
- $600,000 in advance on 15 November 2018;
- $5.54 million within 15 days of the yacht’s release from seizure.
The arrangement took the form of a consulting agreement.
According to the case materials, Akhmedov transferred $200,000 to Anas Derras’s account at Dubai’s Al Hilal Bank and $400,000 to Alexandre Benalla’s account at Bank of Africa United Kingdom PLC SC PAR. He was due to pay the remaining amount after achieving the promised result.
Prosecutors accuse Derras of assisting Benalla in obtaining the alleged bribe.
The Luna, a luxury yacht measuring about 114 metres and valued at roughly $300 million (510 million manats), originally belonged to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Between 2017 and 2019, a court in London ordered the yacht’s seizure in Dubai as part of divorce proceedings between Akhmedov and his former wife, Tatiana Akhmedova.
Akhmedov ultimately won that legal dispute in 2019.
However, in 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the introduction of Western sanctions, authorities again seized the yacht, this time in Hamburg, Germany. According to several reports, some of those restrictions were later lifted, allowing the vessel to return to service.
The alleged corruption scheme from 2018 concerned efforts to remove the seizure imposed during the divorce proceedings, as international sanctions had not yet been introduced at that time.
The Azerbaijani authorities, however, interpret the case as an attempt to secure protection from sanctions and obtain the yacht’s release.
The trial and the latest ruling
- July 2024: Anas Derras was detained in Baku. According to some reports, authorities detained him a day after a meeting with representatives of Azersu. Since then, he has been subject to a travel ban.
- May–June 2025: Investigators completed the inquiry and the trial began. Derras attended hearings with English and French interpreters and denied all charges against him.
- 13 November 2025: The Baku Serious Crimes Court sentenced Derras to 12 years in prison. Prosecutors had requested a 13-year sentence.
- June 2026: The Baku Court of Appeal partially upheld Derras’s appeal and reduced his sentence to nine years. He remains in custody.
Farhad Akhmedov testified as a witness during the proceedings. He confirmed that he had transferred money. However, according to several reports, he said he had communicated only with Derras and had never personally met Alexandre Benalla. Akhmedov also claimed that he had been deceived.
Although he was the party that transferred the funds, authorities did not prosecute him. He appears in the case solely as a witness. Alexandre Benalla is the subject of an international search notice.
In April 2025, Interpol’s General Secretariat issued a Red Notice for Benalla at Azerbaijan’s request. However, some sources later claimed that the notice was either cancelled or never formally entered into force.
According to available information, Benalla is currently in a third country and is involved in proceedings related to a possible extradition request.
The key figures and the broader context
Anas Derras is a French senior executive of Moroccan origin and serves as regional director and vice-president for the Middle East at SAUR, France’s third-largest water and environmental services company. SAUR operates in water management, waste treatment and environmental protection, with annual revenues worth billions of dollars. Derras lived in Dubai and reportedly travelled to Baku for business meetings, including talks with representatives of Azersu.
Alexandre Benalla was one of Emmanuel Macron’s closest associates during the French president’s first term and was widely regarded as an influential behind-the-scenes figure. In 2018, he became the focus of a major scandal after accusations that he used violence during May Day demonstrations while wearing police equipment. The controversy led to his dismissal, and French courts later convicted him. In subsequent years, his name appeared in several investigations involving alleged financial misconduct and influence-peddling. The Azerbaijani case could further damage his international reputation.
Farhad Akhmedov is a Russian billionaire of Azerbaijani origin and a former member of Russia’s Federation Council, where he represented Krasnodar Krai between 2004 and 2009. He built his fortune through investments in the energy sector and other industries. In 2022, Western governments imposed sanctions on Akhmedov, although some of those measures were later lifted. The yacht Luna remains one of his most prominent and symbolic assets.
Law or politics?
From the Azerbaijani authorities’ perspective, the case concerns a straightforward corruption offence. Officials argue that foreign nationals who violate Azerbaijani law must bear responsibility on the same basis as Azerbaijani citizens. According to investigators, the State Security Service built its case on evidence that includes bank transfers, contracts and witness testimony. In Baku, officials also portray the case as a demonstration of state sovereignty and the rule of law.
French and some independent media outlets, however, view the case through the lens of political confrontation. Relations between Azerbaijan and France have deteriorated significantly in recent years amid Paris’s support for Armenia, statements by President Emmanuel Macron and disagreements over New Caledonia. Within this interpretation, Derras’s detention appears as a potential instrument of pressure, aimed either at securing Benalla’s extradition to Azerbaijan or at influencing the French leadership politically.
Conclusions
The case is likely to have a long-term impact on Azerbaijani-French relations. France may continue seeking a resolution to issues surrounding Alexandre Benalla through diplomatic or legal channels. At the same time, the two sides could intensify informal negotiations. For major French companies, including SAUR, operating in the Azerbaijani market may become more sensitive from a political risk perspective.
For Benalla, the case may represent another serious blow to his reputation. His political career in France has effectively come to an end, and the new allegations only add to the negative attention surrounding his name. Derras is due to face deportation from Azerbaijan after completing his sentence, although French law enforcement agencies may also take an interest in his activities.
In a broader sense, the case illustrates how legal mechanisms, including court proceedings and international search notices through Interpol, can become part of diplomatic disputes between states. It also raises questions about the role of intermediaries in major commercial transactions and about how strategically important sectors can become entangled in political conflicts.
The timing of the phone call between Emmanuel Macron and Ilham Aliyev and the appeal court’s decision inevitably attracted attention. However, no public evidence currently exists that would allow a direct link between the two events. Even so, the coincidence highlights the continuing sensitivity of relations between Paris and Baku.
The story is far from over. Benalla’s possible extradition, Derras’s future legal situation in France and the prospects for diplomatic contacts between the two countries all remain open questions.
One thing is certain: the case surrounding the yacht Luna is likely to remain a significant factor in relations between France and Azerbaijan for some time to come.
French national convicted in Azerbaijan
