Azerbaijan called reports of "caviar diplomacy" and laundering $ 3 billion with a provocation of "world Armenism" for the money of Soros

The Huardian , BBC , Süddeutsche Zeitung and the Center for Corruption and Organized Crime (OCCRP) investigation of the secret elite of Azerbaijan, used to launder $ 2.9 billion, and reports of expensive gifts to European parliamentarians in the presidential press service Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was called a provocation of the "world Armenism" with the money of financier George Soros.

"Neither the President of Azerbaijan, nor his family members are in no way connected with the accusations indicated in the publications. Attempts to attract the president and his family to these issues are absolutely unfounded, biased and are provocative in nature," the press service said in the Azerbaijani Agency Azertaj .

The financier George Soros stands behind these articles, states in the message: “We know that this is George Soros and his assistants, who have the image of scammers, falsifiers, Lgunov against Azerbaijan and his leadership. Today, the dirty deeds of George Soros should be seriously investigated.”

"A dirty campaign against the President of Azerbaijan and his family" also conducts "Armenian lobby associated with Soros." “However, despite these efforts, they turned out to be in vain,” the press service of the President of Azerbaijan emphasizes.

“The fact that one of the authors of the article published in the Guardian newspaper is Dina Nagapetyan of Armenian origin once again shows that these dirty accusations are also another disgusting act of the world Armenian,” the press service concluded.

The Guardian claims that the authorities of Azerbaijan washed $ 2.9 billion with the help of British fake companies

The Guardian investigation says that the Azerbaijani elite washed almost $ 3 billion to pay prominent European figures, to purchase luxury objects and wash money through a network of opaque British companies, according to the Inopressa website.

"The leadership of Azerbaijan, accused of serial violations of human rights, systemic corruption and elections in elections, made more than 16 thousand secret payments in the period 2012-2014," the article says.

Part of this money was received by politicians and journalists as part of an international lobbying operation designed to reject criticism of President Ilham Aliyev and promote a positive image of Azerbaijan.

The investigation states that the funds that were introduced by “mysterious treasury in Azerbaijan and Russia were transferred to the accounts of British companies (all these were limited liability partnerships registered in the registration chamber in London) through the Western financial system without causing any anxiety.” One of the leading European banks - Danske - processed payments through his branch in Estonia.

"This scheme was nicknamed" Azerbaijani Law Self-service. "Confidential banking documents were unauthorized by the Danish newspaper Berlingske, they also shared with OCCRP, The Guardian newspaper and other media partners. Data relate to the 30-month period. Perhaps they exposed only the aisberg elbows" - The authors of the investigation write.

These banking documents recorded “multiple payments to several former PACE members”, including ex-deputy Eduard Lintner, member of the Christian Social Union party (Germany) and Italian Luke Volunte, who chaired the PACE in the PACE in the right-centric faction.

Banking data demonstrate that more than $ 2.5 billion was transferred to companies and about $ 50 million to individuals. Among the companies there were many Western European firms that are engaged in retail trade or the provision of services. The publication also mentions several British educational institutions and mortgage payments when renting expensive London apartments.

"The ruling family of Azerbaijan is not directly mentioned. But there are plenty of evidence of some kind of connection. Large amounts are received through the state International Bank of Azerbaijan. This is the largest bank of the country that is rich in oil, and yet this year he declared bankruptcy in New York. The Ministry of Defense and Emergency Situations in Cash in Cash. Baku, ”the article says. According to the authors, Donald Trump's former business partners also appear in the scheme.

The construction of the Trump Tower Hotel (which never opened) was engaged in Baku by billionaire Anar Mammadov, the son of the ex-Minister of Transport of Ziya Mammadov. "Baghlan, the mammadov holding, is associated with transactions in the framework of" laundry automatom, "notes The Guardian.

It is unclear where the money that was used in this scheme came from. The Russian government transferred $ 29.4 million to its main weapons company Rosoboronexport to the Laundry Automatic. Several transactions are associated with another scheme of money laundering for $ 20 billion, which functioned with a center in Moscow in 2010-2014. This scheme - the "Global Laundry Automate" - was exposed in March OCCRP, "New Gazeta" and The Guardian, the article says.

"A mysterious private company from Baktelekom MMC Baku contributed more than $ 1.4 billion. The scams call such firms" Duel Organization ". It looks like the same state telecommunications company, but has nothing to do with it. It has no site. Its functions are unclear. According to OCCRP, Baktelekom MMC Associated with Mehriban Aliyeva, ”the newspaper writes.

The Council of Europe is called the Azerbaijani lobby "caviar diplomacy"

Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote about the scheme, which, together with OCCRP and other partners based on banking data for the period from 2012 to 2014, found out that European parliamentarians were so often received by expensive gifts from Azerbaijan that the head of the ESI research center KNAS a few months ago even said that "Council of European Council of Europe I sold the soul to the autocratic regime. " For the Azerbaijani lobby in the Council of Europe, the term "caviar diplomacy" (translation by Inopressa ) has long been invented.

Azerbaijan, according to the article, achieved the greatest success "in 2013, when the parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe unexpectedly rejected the report of the German deputy Christopher Stresser about political arrests in Azerbaijan.

The published electronic correspondence of the former euro deputy Luke Volunte and two Azerbaijani deputies proves that it is the volunteer who was behind the resistance to the stressor. At the same time, the Foundation belonging to Volunte received millions of euros.

In the March of this year, the prosecutor’s office in Milan started a matter in the volunteer: he was charged with the fact that he "allegedly influenced his colleagues on the eve of the vote and in return received about 2.39 million euros from Azerbaijan through his fund and his wife." Payments were transferred from the accounts of one British company through the Estonian branch of the Danish Danske Bank.

In favor of Azerbaijan, not only voting, but also assessments of observers in the elections often look. During the 2015, the official delegation of the European Council, which caused a lot of disputes, came to the conclusion that "in Azerbaijan, another step forward was taken forward towards free, fair and democratic elections."

Not all members of the delegation divided this point of view: three out of 28, including the German politician Frank Shvaba, gave their own assessment. “Well, in what democratic country the candidate is chosen with a result of almost 100%? From the very beginning it was clear that observers were not critical of the government,” Schwabe emphasized.

Azerbaijan continues the attack on freedom of speech: the trial of French journalists began

On Tuesday in Paris, the process began against French journalists Laurent Richar and Eliz Lucy, who made a critical film about how Azerbaijan creates a correct image around the world, but brutally crackers with his critics. The plaintiff is Azerbaijan.

In May in Azerbaijan, a ban on the use of WhatsApp was imposed and the sites of such opposition media were closed as the Azerbaijani Service of Radio Liberty, the newspaper Freedom, the television channels of Meidan TV, Turan TV and Azerbaijan Saaty.

The site of Radio "Freedom" was banned after the publication of a journalistic investigation of financial transactions that are related to the family of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and his neighboring circle.

In July, it was reported that the president of Azerbaijan settled the whole house with 255 selected journalists, giving them apartments in the same building for special merits. Aliyev promised that "the great merits to their homeland will live in comfort." According to him, “freedom of speech is fully provided in Azerbaijan, there are no restrictions,” and the statements of non -governmental organizations have no reason.

According to Freedom House, repressions against the opposition media continue in the country. In the list of "not free" countries, Azerbaijan takes the 190th place out of 199.