The preliminary investigation has been completed in the criminal case initiated by Azerbaijan's State Security Service against Martin Ryan, accused of espionage for France, Report informs.

The case has been sent to the Baku Court on Grave Crimes. Judge Elmin Rustamov will preside over the proceedings.

French citizen Martin Ryan and several others were arrested on December 4, 2023.

Ryan, the CEO of Mercorama LLC, was charged with espionage. According to the prosecution materials, Ryan was used as a spy agent by employees of the French DGSE (General Directorate of External Security), who were later expelled from the country as "persona non grata."

An Azerbaijani citizen, Azad Mammadli, is also involved in this criminal case and is charged with treason.

On December 20, 2023, DGSE head Bernard Emié was dismissed from his position following a series of French intelligence failures and the exposure of an extensive spy network.