By Murad Gassanly
Children of Azerbaijani Oligarchs in London
In March this year I published an article exposing London property dealings of Yunis Abasov, the son of a notorious Azerbaijani minister-oligarch. It was not so much an investigative piece as an attempt on my part to place into context the reality of corruption in Azerbaijan.
Recently Yunis Abasov responded in an interview to a pro-government media outlet and accepted that the $2 million dollar penthouse property in the Docklands area of London was indeed his. But he denied that it was acquired through his father’s corruption. He claimed to be a genuine businessman engaged in legitimate commercial activities, and that the source of his wealth was beyond reproach. In fact, he claimed that the property in question was bought from proceeds from a rental business.
The problem for Yunis is that these claims cannot be substantiated. I have diligently examined all his business activities in UK and abroad and found no evidence of any real profit-making – more on this later. What I did find, however, was that Yunis Abasov was far too modest in describing his wealth and assets. For instance he did not mention in his interview that just last year, on 3 August 2012, he purchased a £5 million ($7.6 million) property in an exclusive area of Kingston Upon Thames, near London. According to Land Registry details (Title Number SY221345) the property was bought freehold with no lending arrangements – he paid the entire amount of the stated price – £5,000,000 – in full.
Yunis Abasov’s business interests are nowhere near the kind of multimillion dollar property deals he is currently engaging in. His company, Y.A. Property Investments Limited (Registration No: 07069377), has a tiny turnover and is not associated in any way with his personal acquisitions of exclusive properties in London and Kingston. What is interesting about Y.A. Property Investments Limited is that its director, Yunis Abasov, (date of birth 24/03/1985) is BRITISH by nationality. It appears that the son of Azerbaijani Agriculture Minister, owner of multimillion dollar properties in London and a rather unsuccessful businessman, has acquired British citizenship. According to my information this was done to avoid military service in Azerbaijan.
It is worth mentioning that, according to an investigation published by Azerbaijani news-portal Minval.az, Ismet Abasov, Yunis’s father, was responsible for around $1 billion of state funds, over the ten years he “served” as the country’s Agriculture Minister. As the publication suggests “’siphoning’ off just 5-10 percent of this amount would be sufficient to purchase villas in the most expensive regions of the world”.
In his interview Yunis Abasov insinuated that my article and subsequent discussions in Azerbaijani media are politically motivated and are aimed at undermining his father. He is, in fact, absolutely right. I am determined to undermine in any way possible every corrupt, thieving Azerbaijani minister, oligarch and official (and their “fortunate sons”) currently engaged in asset-stripping my country of birth. I call for immediate resignation of Agriculture Minister Ismet Abasov and will continue to investigate his family’s property and business deals in Britain and around the world.
But of course Ismet and Yunis Abasovs are not alone. There is another father and son pair which has become rather prominent in Britain – Kamaladdin and Tale Heydarovs. According to the leaked US diplomatic cable the father, Kamaladdin is one of the most powerful and richest of Azerbaijan’s oligarchs. He chaired the notorious State Customs Committee and is now the head of para-military Ministry of National Emergencies. According to the Cable – “The State Customs position allowed him to gain massive wealth, as significant illicit payments were paid “up the food chain” in an elaborate and well-orchestrated system of payoff and patronage”. The Cable report goes on to say: “…it appears they (Heydarovs- ed.) own more businesses than any other Azerbaijani family”, and hold assets and properties around the world. All of this is vehemently denied by Heydarovs who regularly (and successfully) sue Azerbaijani newspapers which dare make such allegations.
Kamaladdin’s son Tale Heydarov, however, has shown no intention of keeping a low profile whilst living in Europe. He chairs a slick pro-Aliyev regime lobbying group – The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), and is prominent in the high society circles in London. And here is an interesting fact – the US diplomatic cable specifically mentions a group of international companies allegedly controlled by Heydarovs – “Many of the family’s operations are part of the “Gilan,” “Qabala,” “Jala,” or “United Enterprises International (UEI)” family of companies”. The latter company – UEI – is registered in the UK (Company Number: 04718683) and is under directorship of a Malaysian national Mr Kenneth Lee. The company operates various businesses – from real estate to fancy restaraunts, including “Baku”, in London’s exclusive Knightsbridge area. United Enterprises International lists on its website a portfolio of businesses and affiliates, including “Jala”, “Qabala FC”, “Gilan”, and importantly The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), which is chaired by Tale Heydarov. In fact, TEAS’s London HQ at 2 Queen Anne’s Gate, London, SW1H 9AA, is given as the formal London address of the United Enterprises Limited.
Webs of corruption envelop Azerbaijan. Corruption poisons Azerbaijan’s economy and robs the country of its future, as massive wealth is siphoned off and taken abroad. Corruption is the single greatest security threat facing Azerbaijan – it makes impossible any attempt to liberate occupied territories and withstand external pressures. The corrupt system that exists in the country today has made Azerbaijani statehood a hostage of private interests of a small number of very powerful oligarchs at the top. Radical measures are required to end the status quo and to return stolen wealth. Every last dollar of it, by whatever means necessary…
Ed.: Despite repeated attempts Yunis Abasov and Ismet Abasov have refused to comment on the allegations.
