Finance:Azerbaijani laundromat

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Short description: Money laundering scheme

The Azerbaijani laundromat is a complex money-laundering scheme organized by Azerbaijan that was revealed by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in September 2017.[1][2] The investigations exposed that during two years between 2012 and 2014 about USD $2.9 billion was siphoned through European companies and banks.[3][4] The money was used to pay off European politicians in an attempt to whitewash Azerbaijan's reputation abroad.[5][6][7][8]

Media investigation

The scheme was uncovered through a joint investigation by OCCRP,[1] Berlingske[9] (Denmark), The Guardian [10] (UK), Süddeutsche Zeitung[11] (Germany), Le Monde[12] (France), Tages-Anzeiger[13] and Tribune de Genève[14] (Switzerland), De Tijd[15] (Belgium), Novaya Gazeta[16] (Russia), Dossier[17][18] (Austria), Atlatszo[19] (Hungary), Delo[20] (Slovenia), RISE Project[21] (Romania), Bivol[22] (Bulgaria), Aripaev[23] (Estonia), Czech Center for Investigative Journalism[24] (Czech Republic), and Barron's[25] (US), which published a series of articles revealing the results of their investigations in September 2017.[26]

Internal bank documents detailing over 16,000 transactions between 2012 and 2014 were initially obtained through a leak by Berlingske Danish newspaper and then shared with their media partners. The analysed documents revealed a large number of obscure transactions indirectly linked to "influential persons" in Azerbaijan that mainly used four UK-based shell companies and the Danske Bank branch in Estonia to transfer millions to accounts of companies and individuals across the world.[27] The scheme allowed Azerbaijan's ruling elite to funnel out at least $2.9 billion to purportedly buy silence on human right violations in Azerbaijan, promote Azeri government views and create a positive image of Azerbaijan abroad.[28]

This was Berlingske's first sizeable international cooperative investigation. It had a major impact in Denmark due to Danske Bank's implication in the scheme, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen reacted to the stories publicly, telling Denmark's TV2: "It makes me sad and angry."[29]

Laundered money

Almost half of the money ($1,452,918,429) came from an account held in the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA) by a shell company linked to the Aliyev family, $8.5 million came directly from government ministries and organisations such as the MODIAR, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Special State Protection Service. Some of the money came from companies with ties to the regime like: Baktelekom MMC, connected to former minister Goknur Baki, Azarbaycan Metanol Kompani, Arash Medical Production[30] and offshore entities. Another portion came from Rosoboronexport – a state-owned Russian arms exporter. The recipients also included prominent Azerbaijanis with government positions or connections, like the family of Yaqub Eyyubov – Azerbaijan's first deputy prime minister, Ali Nagiyev – a government representative responsible for battling corruption and Orkhan Sultanov – head of foreign intelligence of Azerbaijan.[27][31][32]

The four front companies at the centre of the scheme (Metastar Invest, Hilux Services, Polux Management and LCM Alliance) were all limited partnerships registered in the UK. Their corporate partners were anonymous tax haven entities based in the British Virgin Islands, Seychelles and Belize. Danske Bank handled the accounts of all four laundromat companies, allowing the billions to pass through its Estonian branch without due investigation on the provenance of the funds.[33]

A majority of the payments went to shell companies in the UK. Large amounts also went to companies in the UAE and Turkey to accounts and companies that were also implicated in the Russian Laundromat uncovered previously by the OCCRP, thus revealing a connection between the two money laundering schemes. Both "laundromats" (a term coined by OCCRP to refer to a vast money-laundering scheme) have used the same type of British-based limited partnerships, share the same formation agents and some of the same bank accounts, in addition 33 of the companies used in the Azerbaijani scheme also appear in the Russian version,[34] indicating that the full extent of the scheme may be much larger and needs further investigations to uncover its full extent.[35]

Sociopolitical implications

During the period of the money laundering activities, the Azerbaijani government imprisoned more than 90 human rights activists, opposition politicians, and journalists (such as Khadija Ismayilova, Anar Mammadli, Intiqam Aliyev, Rasul Jafarov, Leyla Yunus) on politically motivated charges. While this human rights crackdown was roundly condemned by international human rights groups,[36][37][38] a number of European politicians, who were among the recipients of the laundromat payments, were able to mobilize important international organizations, such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)[39] and allegedly UNESCO,[40][41][42][43] to silence criticism or score PR victories for the Azerbaijani government.[44]

The revelations confirmed some of the earlier reports on corruption of European diplomats by Azerbaijani officials uncovered by the European Stability Initiative in 2012, since some of the money recipients, such as Eduard Lintner (German politician and election monitor in European Parliament), Alain Destexhe (Belgian politician and member of PACE), Luca Volontè (Italian politician and member of PACE) and others were already implicated in the "Caviar diplomacy" investigation.

Other recipients included: Kalin Mitrev (member of the board of EBRD and married to Irina Bokova – head of UNESCO), Zmago Jelincic Pleminiti (Slovenian politician and presidential candidate),[45][46] and Karin Strentz (Bundestag member – CDU).[47]

Money was shuffled also to sport stars, media moguls, musicians, journalists to bolster the image of Azerbaijan.[48] Eckart Sager, a former CNN journalist who wrote articles friendly to the Azerbaijani regime was among the recipients.[49][50] 

Reaction and criminal probes

Azerbaijan

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Baku under the slogan "Return the money stolen from the people", to demonstrate against corruption and tax fraud committed by the country's governing elite.[51][52][53]

Bulgaria

In September 2017, the public prosecutor's office launched an inquiry into Kalin Mitrev, Bulgaria's representative to the EBRD, who received €425,000 from the laundromat scheme. Mitrev denied wrongdoing and said the payments to his Swiss and Bulgarian accounts were for legitimate consultancy work and happened before he joined the bank's board in London. In September 2018, Bulgarian prosecutors declared that the investigation and an audit of Mitrev's tax affairs from 2012 to 2015 had uncovered no evidence of tax evasion, money laundering, "nor any discrepancy between the property of the taxpayer, the expenses incurred by him, and his income".[54][55]

Denmark

The Azerbaijani and Russian Laundromat revelations led to what became known as the Danske Bank money laundering scandal, described as possibly the largest money laundering scandal ever in Europe.[56] In the immediate aftermath of the Berlingske publications, Danske Bank launched an internal investigation into its Estonian branch activities. In September 2018, when the results of the investigation were released, the CEO of the bank Thomas Borgen stepped down.[57][58] In May of the same year, Danish prosecutors charged him with neglecting his responsibilities.[59][60] Charges were also brought against Henrik Ramlau-Hansen, the bank's former chairman of Financial Supervisory Authority, for failing to prevent the suspicious transactions.[61]

The Danish Parliament introduced more stringent anti-money laundering measures, increasing penalties for money laundering eight-fold, making them some of the toughest in Europe.[62][63][64]

Estonia

The Estonian authorities launched a probe into the matter as well and arrested 10 former employees of Danske Bank in December 2018.[65][66] The bank was required to close its Estonian branch in 2019 by the Estonian government.[67][68]

Council of Europe

In January 2017, following a series of critical reports and concern expressed by many members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Assembly's Bureau decided to set up an independent, external body to investigate allegations of corruption in PACE.[69][70] The investigation body's final report was published in April 2018,[71] finding "strong suspicions of corruptive conduct involving members of the Assembly" and naming a number of members and former members as having breached the Assembly's Code of Conduct. Many of the members or former members mentioned in the report were sanctioned: four members[72] were deprived of certain rights and 14 members,[73] accused of accepting gifts and bribes from the government of Azerbaijan, were expelled from the Assembly's premises for life.[74]

In March 2019, the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights issued a new report with recommendations titled "Laundromats: responding to new challenges in the international fight against organised crime, corruption and money laundering".[75]

Germany

In July 2018, the PACE decided to expel the Member of the German Bundestag Karin Strenz and also the a former CSU politician Eduard Lintner from its buildings for life.[74] In January 2019, the leadership of the Bundestag disciplined Strenz for breaking parliamentary rules on declaring external income received from Azerbaijan.[47] In January 2020, the public prosecutor's office in Frankfurt launched an investigation into both Strenz and Lintner.[76] The Bundestag waived Strenz's immunity and approved the execution of judicial searches and seizure orders to investigate Strenz for receiving money from a company lobbying for Azerbaijan and owned by Lintner. The Federal Criminal Police searched the parliamentary office and the apartments of Strenz.[77] At the request of the German court, investigators also searched Belgian ex MR politician Alain Destexhe's and Stef Goris (nl)'s' apartments.[78]

In March 2021, the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation on the initial suspicion of corruption against another CDU MP Axel Fischer. The Bundestag lifted his immunity and the BKA searched his representative office.[79][80]

Hungary

The investigation revealed several bank transfers in 2012, totalling more than USD $9 million, made to the Hungarian MKB Bank account in Budapest right around the time when, amid international controversy, the Hungarian government extradited the convicted Azeri axe-murderer Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan.[81] Several media outlets suggested a connection between Viktor Orbán's visit to Baku in June and the first instalment of $7.6 million transferred to the bank account in July, since by the end of August Safarov was handed over to Azerbaijan.[82][83][84][85][86][87]

Hungary's foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said he hopes the "international and national inquiries into the stories uncover what exactly happened, because as long as the truth is not known, all kinds of defamatory statements can be made by everyone without consequence. In the firmest possible way, I reject any inference or insinuation which make any inference or insinuation which make a connection between the Hungarian foreign policy decisions and the aforementioned international criminal actions."[88]

Italy

The Milan prosecutor's office charged Luca Volontè, the former head of the European People's Party faction in the PACE, with corruption and money laundering. According to the Prosecutor's Office Volontè had received €2.39 million to organise support for Azerbaijani officials in the Council of Europe.[89] In January 2021, the Court of Milan sentenced Luca Volontè to four years in prison for receiving bribes from Azerbaijani politicians.[90][91]

Sweden

In March 2019, Swedbank CEO Birgitte Bonnesen lost her job in connection with a money laundering scandal.[92] In January 2022, Sweden’s Economic Crime Authority charged her with gross fraud, enabling money laundering with references, among others, to the Russian and Azerbaijani Laundromats.[93]

United Kingdom

The extensive use of UK limited partnerships both in the Azerbaijani and Russian Laundromats gave rise to criticism on how these entities were being regulated.[94][95][96] As a result, the NCA started an investigation into the role of British LP/LLP companies in these schemes[97] and in December 2018 the UK government unveiled a raft of measures to cut down on money laundering through British LLPs, increase transparency and tackle corruption.[98]

In the course of a government crackdown on limited partnerships to fight UK money laundering, the NCA froze several bank accounts linked to the Azerbaijani laundromat.[99]

Khalid Sharif – a senior partner with a London law firm – was fined £45,000 and £40,000 by the tribunal for "failing to carry out money-laundering checks and breaching his professional code" in a real-estate deal where the two daughters of the Azerbaijani president, Leyla and Arzu Aliyeva, sought to purchase a £59.5 million real estate property in London.[100]

Izzat Khanim Javad (a cousin of Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and a London DJ under the name Mikaela Jav) and her husband Suleyman Javadov agreed to forfeit £4 million in funds received from the Laundromat to the NCA. The settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing.[101][102][103]

In November 2021, the NCA filed proceedings to freeze and seize £15 million in bank accounts belonging to the wife, son, and nephew of Javanshir Feyziyev, a high-ranking Azerbaijani politician.[104][105] In January 2022, the NCA seized £5.6 million from accounts belonging to the Feyziyev family on the grounds that the money came from the Azerbaijani laundromat scheme.[106][107]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Project, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting. "The Azerbaijani Laundromat". https://www.occrp.org/en/azerbaijanilaundromat/. 
  2. ↑ Harding, Luke; Barr, Caelainn; Nagapetyants, Dina (September 4, 2017). "Everything you need to know about the Azerbaijani Laundromat". https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/04/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-azerbaijani-laundromat. 
  3. ↑ "Azerbaijan accused of $2.9bn money-laundering scheme". https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/9/5/azerbaijan-accused-of-2-9bn-money-laundering-scheme. 
  4. ↑ "Azerbaijani Laundromat, lo scandalo si allarga" (in it). July 16, 2018. https://www.recommon.org/azerbaijani-laundromat-lo-scandalo-si-allarga/. 
  5. ↑ "Who Profited From The 'Azerbaijani Laundromat'?". https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-laundromat-report/28734978.html. 
  6. ↑ "The Azerbaijani Laundromat: $3 Billion Azerbaijani Money Laundering and Lobbying Scheme Exposed". September 5, 2017. https://anca.org/the-azerbaijani-laundromat-3-billion-azerbaijani-money-laundering-and-lobbying-scheme-exposed/. 
  7. ↑ "The EBRD and the Azerbaijani Laundromat". https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-8-2018-000847_EN.html. 
  8. ↑ "PACE – Doc. 14653 (2018) – Follow-up to the Azerbaijani Laundromat investigation". http://www.assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-XML2HTML-en.asp?fileid=25190&lang=en. 
  9. ↑ Jung, Eva; Lund, Michael; Bendtsen, Simon (September 5, 2017). "Dictatorship sent billions through Denmark's biggest bank" (in da). https://www.berlingske.dk/content/item/46533. 
  10. ↑ Harding, Luke; Barr, Caelainn; Nagapetyants, Dina (September 4, 2017). "UK at centre of secret $3bn Azerbaijani money laundering and lobbying scheme" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/04/uk-at-centre-of-secret-3bn-azerbaijani-money-laundering-and-lobbying-scheme. 
  11. ↑ Munzinger, Hannes; Obermayer, Bastian; Ratzesberger, Pia (September 19, 2017). "Aserbaidschan-Connection einer CDU-Abgeordneten" (in de). https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/bundestag-die-aserbaidschan-connection-1.3671979. 
  12. ↑ "Comment " Le Monde " a enquêté sur la stratégie d'influence de l'Azerbaïdjan" (in fr). Le Monde.fr. September 4, 2017. https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2017/09/04/comment-le-monde-a-enquete-sur-la-strategie-d-influence-de-l-azerbaidjan_5180966_4355770.html. 
  13. ↑ "Die Leichen in den Geldwäsche-Kellern der Schweizer Banken" (in de). Tages-Anzeiger. ISSN 1422-9994. https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/wirtschaft/standarddie-leichen-im-geldwaeschekeller-schweizer-banken/story/15174400. 
  14. ↑ "Ce qui se cache derrière l'arrestation de Kerimov en France" (in fr). Tribune de Genève. ISSN 1010-2248. https://www.tdg.ch/monde/europe/cache-derriere-arrestation-kerimov-france/story/18375507. 
  15. ↑ "Gerecht onderzoekt Azerbeidzjaans geld aan Belgische politici" (in nl). November 29, 2017. https://www.tijd.be/politiek-economie/belgie/algemeen/gerecht-onderzoekt-azerbeidzjaans-geld-aan-belgische-politici/9957986.html. 
  16. ↑ Епифанова, Мария (May 29, 2018). "Зачистка в балтийской прачечной" (in ru). https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2018/05/29/76635-zachistka-v-baltiyskoy-prachechnoy. 
  17. ↑ Staff, GIJN (September 4, 2019). "Global Shining Light Finalist: The Azerbaijani Laundromat (Azerbaijan)" (in en-US). https://gijn.org/2019/09/04/global-shining-light-finalist-the-azerbaijani-laundromat-azerbaijan/. 
  18. ↑ "DOSSIER · Magazin" (in de). https://www.dossier.at/. 
  19. ↑ ANTÓNIA, RÁDI (September 9, 2017). "Azerbaijani slush fund transferred millions of dollars to Hungary in 2012". https://english.atlatszo.hu/2017/09/09/azerbaijani-slush-fund-transferred-millions-of-dollars-to-hungary-in-2012/. 
  20. ↑ "Ko je Lady Gaga za dva milijona dolarjev pela režimu, sem jaz bila v zaporu" (in sl-si). https://www.delo.si/sobotna-priloga/ko-je-lady-gaga-za-dva-milijona-dolarjev-pela-rezimu-sem-jaz-bila-v-zaporu/. 
  21. ↑ "Mașina azeră de spălat bani: filiera românească". http://www.riseproject.ro/articol/masina-azera-de-spalat-bani-filiera-romaneasca/. 
  22. ↑ Биволъ, Екип (September 15, 2017). "Credit Suisse Rejected "Azerbaijani Laundromat" Money Wires to Kalin Mitrev as "Sensitive"" (in en-US). https://bivol.bg/en/credit-suisse-rejected-azerbaijani-laundromat-money-wires-to-kalin-mitrev-as-sensitive.html. 
  23. ↑ "Taani leht: Danske aitas rahapesule kaasa" (in en). https://www.aripaev.ee/uudised/2017/11/01/taani-leht-danske-aitas-rahapesule-kaasa. 
  24. ↑ "The Azerbaijani Laundromat" (in en-GB). September 4, 2017. https://www.investigace.eu/the-azerbaijani-laundromat/. 
  25. ↑ Alpert, Bill. "Denmark Takes Up Investigation of Its Biggest Bank for Money Laundering" (in en-US). https://www.barrons.com/articles/denmark-takes-up-investigation-of-its-biggest-bank-for-money-laundering-1533579880. 
  26. ↑ "The Azerbaijani Laundromat | Allard Prize for International Integrity". https://www.allardprize.org/news/azerbaijani-laundromat. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "The Azerbaijani laundromat: a new money laundering machine in a familiar guise" (in en-US). https://www.amlc.eu/the-azerbaijani-laundromat-a-new-money-laundering-machine-in-a-familiar-guise/. 
  28. ↑ Ismayilova, Khadjia (September 5, 2017). "Azerbaijani Laundromat shows how regime robs its people to feed itself" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/05/azerbaijani-laundromat-shows-how-regime-robs-its-people-to-feed-itself. 
  29. ↑ Roque, Stella (November 8, 2017). "How They Did It: The Azerbaijani Laundromat" (in en-US). https://gijn.org/2017/11/08/how-they-did-it-the-azerbaijani-laundromat/. 
  30. ↑ Project, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting. "The Raw Data" (in en). https://www.occrp.org/en/azerbaijanilaundromat/raw-data/. 
  31. ↑ Eva Jung, Simon Bendtsen and Michael Lund (November 28, 2017). "THE AZERBAIJANI LAUNDROMAT – PANA Committee – Public Hearing". https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/133822/5%20-%2003%20Eva%20JUNG_Michael%20Lund_Simon%20Bendtsen.pdf. 
  32. ↑ Jung, Eva (April 2019). "Danske Bank's €200bn money laundering scandal". https://dataharvest.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Eva-Jung-Money-laundering-at-Danske-Bank.pdf. 
  33. ↑ "Danish bank shamed in Azerbaijan corruption scheme" (in en). https://euobserver.com/justice/138884. 
  34. ↑ Radu, Drew Sullivan and Paul. "What is a Laundromat?" (in en). https://www.occrp.org/en/azerbaijanilaundromat/what-is-a-laundromat. 
  35. ↑ Gricius, Gabriella. "The Danske Bank Scandal Is the Tip of the Iceberg" (in en-US). https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/10/08/the-danske-bank-scandal-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-money-laundering-estonia-denmark-regulation-financial-crime/. 
  36. ↑ Antidze, Nailia Bagirova, Margarita (August 5, 2014). "Amnesty condemns arrest of another human rights activist in Azerbaijan" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-azerbaijan-rights-idUSKBN0G500B20140805. 
  37. ↑ "Azerbaijan: Investigative Journalist Arrested" (in en). December 5, 2014. https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/12/05/azerbaijan-investigative-journalist-arrested. 
  38. ↑ "Azerbaijan: Transparency Group Should Suspend Membership" (in en). August 14, 2014. https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/08/14/azerbaijan-transparency-group-should-suspend-membership. 
  39. ↑ "Caviar Diplomacy – How Azerbaijan silenced the Council of Europe | ESI". https://www.esiweb.org/publications/caviar-diplomacy-how-azerbaijan-silenced-council-europe. 
  40. ↑ Ismayilova, Khadija. "Letter: When UNESCO's Director General Broke Her Silence" (in en-GB). https://www.occrp.org/en/announcements/40-presss-releases/7117-letter-when-unesco-s-director-general-broke-her-silence. 
  41. ↑ "Azerbaijan: UNESCO urged to help end government's crackdown on free expression" (in en-US). September 29, 2014. https://ifex.org/azerbaijan-unesco-urged-to-help-end-governments-crackdown-on-free-expression/. 
  42. ↑ Mammadova, Paul Radu, Khadija Ismayilova and Madina. "The Influence Machine" (in en). https://www.occrp.org/en/azerbaijanilaundromat/the-influence-machine. 
  43. ↑ "When The World Looked Away: The Destruction Of Julfa Cemetery" (in en). https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan-julfa-cemetery-destruction-unesco-cultural-heritage/30986581.html. 
  44. ↑ "The Azerbaijani Laundromat one year on: has justice been served? -…" (in en). https://www.transparency.org/en/news/the-azerbaijani-laundromat-one-year-on-has-justice-been-served. 
  45. ↑ "V "azerbajdžanski pralnici" omenjen tudi Jelinčič Plemeniti. "To je čisti nesmisel," pravi." (in sl). https://siol.net/novice/svet/razkrit-skriven-azerbajdzanski-sklad-za-podmazovanje-evropskih-politikov-in-novinarjev-448529. 
  46. ↑ "STA: Delo: Ex MP Jelinčič involved in Azerbaijani Laundromat". https://english.sta.si/2425261/delo-ex-mp-jelincic-involved-in-azerbaijani-laundromat. 
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 "German Parliament Takes Azerbaijan Corruption Seriously – Finally" (in en). January 29, 2019. https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/29/german-parliament-takes-azerbaijan-corruption-seriously-finally. 
  48. ↑ Editorial Board. "Opinion | Azerbaijan's president prefers pop stars to democracy" (in en-US). Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/azerbaijans-president-prefers-pop-stars-to-democracy/2018/04/10/bb60a25a-3c1b-11e8-a7d1-e4efec6389f0_story.html. 
  49. ↑ "Former CNN Employee Received $2.6 Million Through 'Azerbaijani Laundromat'" (in en-US). September 15, 2017. https://asbarez.com/166535/former-cnn-employee-received-2-6-million-through-azerbaijani-laundromat/. 
  50. ↑ Project, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting. "Eckart Sager" (in en). https://www.occrp.org/en/azerbaijanilaundromat/profiles/eckart-sager. 
  51. ↑ "Azerbajani Opposition Holds Anti-corruption Rally in Baku | Voice of America – English" (in en). https://www.voanews.com/europe/azerbajani-opposition-holds-anti-corruption-rally-baku. 
  52. ↑ "Stopping the spin from Azerbaijan's very special laundromat" (in en). https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/stopping-spin-from-azerbaijan-s-very-special-laundromat/. 
  53. ↑ ""Laundromat" corruption affair leads to rare demonstration on streets of Baku Azerbaijan" (in en). September 25, 2017. http://www.intellinews.com/laundromat-corruption-affair-leads-to-rare-demonstration-on-streets-of-baku-129477/. 
  54. ↑ "Bulgaria to investigate $3bn Azerbaijan Laundromat claims" (in en). September 7, 2017. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/07/bulgaria-to-investigate-azerbaijan-money-laundering-claims. 
  55. ↑ "'Azerbaijani laundromat' reports: Bulgarian Prosecutor-General orders probe of Mitrev" (in en-US). September 7, 2017. https://sofiaglobe.com/2017/09/07/azerbaijani-laundromat-reports-bulgarian-prosecutor-general-orders-probe-of-mitrev/. 
  56. ↑ Coppola, Frances. "The Tiny Bank At The Heart Of Europe's Largest Money Laundering Scandal" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/francescoppola/2018/09/26/the-tiny-bank-at-the-heart-of-europes-largest-money-laundering-scandal/. 
  57. ↑ Clark, Adam. "Danske Bank CEO resigns over internal probe" (in en-US). https://www.marketwatch.com/story/danske-bank-ceo-resigns-over-internal-probe-2018-09-19. 
  58. ↑ "Danske Bank chief Thomas Borgen quits over money laundering scandal". https://www.ft.com/content/cbc4b02a-bbda-11e8-8274-55b72926558f. 
  59. ↑ "Ex-Danske CEO Borgen charged over money laundering case: report" (in en). Reuters. May 7, 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-danske-bank-moneylaundering-idUSKCN1SD1P3. 
  60. ↑ "Prosecutors charge ex-Danske Bank chief in money-laundering probe". https://www.ft.com/content/a78b04ba-70d5-11e9-bf5c-6eeb837566c5. 
  61. ↑ Orsak, Brian. "Ex-Top Banking Regulator Charged for Danske Money Laundering: FT" (in en-GB). https://www.riskscreen.com/kyc360/news/former-top-banking-regulator-charged-for-danske-money-laundering-ft/. 
  62. ↑ "Danske Bank money laundering 'is biggest scandal in Europe'" (in en). September 20, 2018. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/sep/20/danske-bank-money-laundering-is-biggest-scandal-in-europe-european-commission. 
  63. ↑ Guarascio, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Francesco (April 17, 2019). "EU states force clearing of Estonian, Danish regulators over Danske Bank" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-danske-bank-moneylaundering-idUSKCN1RT0VZ. 
  64. ↑ The Local dk (September 20, 2018). "Denmark to make money laundering fines eight times larger". https://www.thelocal.dk/20180920/denmark-to-make-money-laundering-fines-eight-times-larger. 
  65. ↑ "Estonia arrests ten in Danske Bank money laundering inquiry" (in en). Reuters. December 19, 2018. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-danske-bank-moneylaundering-idUSKBN1OI0NL. 
  66. ↑ Milne, Richard (December 19, 2018). "Estonia arrests 10 former employees of embattled Danske Bank". https://www.ft.com/content/07ec88bc-037e-11e9-9d01-cd4d49afbbe3. 
  67. ↑ "Danske Bank closes down its banking activities in Estonia" (in en). Reuters. October 1, 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-danske-bank-moneylaundering-idUSKBN1WG32G. 
  68. ↑ "Estonia orders Danske Bank branch to shut" (in en-GB). BBC News. February 19, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47292732. 
  69. ↑ "PACE Independent External Investigation Body released a report on the allegations of corruption within the Assembly | Civic Solidarity". https://www.civicsolidarity.org/article/1544/pace-independent-external-investigation-body-released-report-allegations-corruption. 
  70. ↑ "Council of Europe members suspected of corruption, inquiry reveals" (in en). April 22, 2018. http://www.theguardian.com/law/2018/apr/22/council-of-europe-members-suspected-of-corruption-inquiry-reveals. 
  71. ↑ PACE (April 15, 2018). "REPORT of the Independent Investigation Body on the allegations of corruption within the Parliamentary Assembly". http://assembly.coe.int/Communication/IBAC/IBAC-GIAC-Report-EN.pdf. 
  72. ↑ PACE (May 16, 2018). "Allegations of corruption within the Assembly: committee deprives four members of certain rights". https://pace.coe.int/en/news/7066. 
  73. ↑ PACE (June 27, 2018). "Committee deprives fourteen former members of the right to access Council of Europe premises". https://pace.coe.int/en/news/7142. 
  74. ↑ 74.0 74.1 "Council of Europe expels 14 members accused of corruption in Azerbaijan case – EU-OCS – European Observatory of Crimes and Security". https://eu-ocs.com/council-of-europe-expels-14-members-accused-of-corruption-in-azerbaijan-case/. 
  75. ↑ Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Report | Doc. 14847 (March 25, 2019). "Laundromats: responding to new challenges in the international fight against organised crime, corruption and money laundering". https://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-XML2HTML-en.asp?fileid=27474&lang=en. 
  76. ↑ WELT (January 30, 2020). "Karin Strenz und Eduard Lintner: Razzia bei Unionspolitikern". DIE WELT. https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article205472235/Karin-Strenz-und-Eduard-Lintner-Razzia-bei-Unionspolitikern.html. 
  77. ↑ tagesschau.de. "Aserbaidschan-Affäre: Unionspolitiker unter Korruptionsverdacht" (in de). https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/korruptionsverdacht-ermittlungen-strenz-lintner-101.html. 
  78. ↑ "Huiszoekingen bij Destexhe en Stef Goris in Azerbeidzjan-affaire" (in nl). January 31, 2020. https://www.tijd.be/politiek-economie/belgie/algemeen/huiszoekingen-bij-destexhe-en-stef-goris-in-azerbeidzjan-affaire/10204760.html. 
  79. ↑ WELT (March 4, 2021). "Bundestag hebt Immunität von CDU-Abgeordnetem Fischer auf". DIE WELT. https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article227604921/Bundestag-hebt-Immunitaet-von-CDU-Abgeordnetem-Fischer-auf.html. 
  80. ↑ "Korruptionsaffäre: Nächster CDU-Politiker legt Bundestagsmandat nieder – Windige Deals mit Aserbaidschan" (in de). March 12, 2021. https://www.merkur.de/politik/cdu-korruption-aserbaidschan-politiker-bundestag-abgeordnete-baku-hauptmann-ruecktritt-zr-90236931.html. 
  81. ↑ "Hungarian businessman connected to the Azerbaijani Laundromat makes a fortune in the ventilator business". https://english.atlatszo.hu/2020/11/05/hungarian-businessman-connected-to-the-azerbaijani-laundromat-makes-a-fortune-in-the-ventilator-business/. 
  82. ↑ Novak, -Benjamin (November 16, 2017). "Big push in Hungary and EP for comprehensive inquiry into Azeri Laundromat" (in en-US). https://budapestbeacon.com/big-push-hungary-ep-comprehensive-inquiry-azeri-laundromat/. 
  83. ↑ "Azeri guruló dollárok Budapesten a baltás gyilkos kiadása idején | atlatszo.hu" (in hu). September 5, 2017. https://atlatszo.hu/2017/09/05/azeri-gurulo-dollarok-budapesten-a-baltas-gyilkos-kiadasa-idejen/. 
  84. ↑ Tbg (September 5, 2017). "Akkor érkeztek azeri dollármilliók egy budapesti számlára, amikor az ország kiadta a baltás gyilkost". https://444.hu/2017/09/05/akkor-erkeztek-azeri-dollarmilliok-egy-budapesti-szamlara-amikor-az-orszag-kiadta-a-baltas-gyilkost. 
  85. ↑ Balogh, Eva S. (September 6, 2017). "The "Azerbaijan Laundromat" and Orbán's Hungary" (in en-US). https://hungarianspectrum.org/2017/09/06/the-azerbaijan-laundromat-and-orbans-hungary/. 
  86. ↑ "Report: $7 Million Payment Tied to Hungary's Extradition of Azerbaijani Axe-Murderer | Eurasianet" (in en). https://eurasianet.org/report-7-million-payment-tied-to-hungarys-extradition-of-azerbaijani-axe-murderer. 
  87. ↑ "Atlatszo is joining forces with Hungarian MEP to urge a comprehensive inquiry into the Azerbaijani Laundromat". https://english.atlatszo.hu/2017/11/17/atlatszo-is-joining-forces-with-hungarian-mep-to-urge-a-comprehensive-inquiry-into-the-azerbaijani-laundromat/. 
  88. ↑ Novak, -Benjamin (September 6, 2017). "Azeri slush fund reportedly tied to deposits in MKB account around the time of Safarov extradition" (in en-US). https://budapestbeacon.com/azeri-slush-fund-reportedly-tied-deposits-mkb-account-around-time-safarov-extradition/. 
  89. ↑ "Corruzione, "immunità parlamentare non preclude perseguibilità". La Cassazione annulla proscioglimento Volontè" (in it-IT). July 24, 2017. http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2017/07/24/corruzione-immunita-parlamentare-non-preclude-perseguibilita-la-cassazione-annulla-proscioglimento-volonte/3751620/. 
  90. ↑ Ljubas, Zdravko. "Italian Court Sentences Former Council of Europe MP for Bribery" (in en-GB). https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/13628-italian-court-sentences-former-council-of-europe-mp-for-bribery. 
  91. ↑ online, Redazione Milano (November 1, 2021). "Volontè (ex Udc) condannato a 4 anni di carcere per "tangenti"" (in it). https://milano.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/21_gennaio_11/volonte-ex-udc-condannato-4-anni-carcere-tangenti-97d9b466-542d-11eb-ad41-ddad2172512f.shtml. 
  92. ↑ "Swedbank's CEO Fired as Money Laundering Scandal Grows" (in en-GB). https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/9473-swedbank-s-ceo-fired-as-money-laundering-scandal-grows. 
  93. ↑ "Så kan Swedbanks kunder kopplas till tidigare penningtvättshärvor" (in sv). https://www.svt.se/special/swedbank/varningsflaggorna/tidigare-penningtvattsharvor/. 
  94. ↑ Harding, Luke (October 19, 2017). "Azerbaijan Laundromat shows UK is choice of crooks and despots, says Hodge" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/19/azerbaijan-laundromat-shows-uk-is-choice-of-crooks-and-despots-says-hodge. 
  95. ↑ "UK limited partnerships – an exercise in restraint – Money Laundering Bulletin". https://www.moneylaunderingbulletin.com/risksandcontrols/corporatevehicles/uk-limited-partnerships--an-exercise-in-restraint-133878.htm. 
  96. ↑ Hodgson, Camilla. "'No one suspects Scotland': UK shell companies allegedly funneled $2.9 billion out of Azerbaijan". https://www.businessinsider.com/transparency-international-azerbaijan-scottish-limited-partnerships-2017-9. 
  97. ↑ "UK to crack down on companies at heart of money laundering scandals" (in en-us). https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/uk-to-crack-down-on-companies-at-heart-of-money-laundering-scandals-48722693. 
  98. ↑ "New measures to tackle international money laundering" (in en). https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-to-tackle-international-money-laundering. 
  99. ↑ Ridley, Kirstin (December 12, 2018). "Britain freezes bank account linked to Azerbaijani Laundromat" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-moneylaundering-azerbaijan-idUSL8N1YH5E5. 
  100. ↑ "Azerbaijan leader's daughters tried to buy £60m London home with offshore funds" (in en). December 21, 2018. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/21/azerbaijan-leaders-daughters-tried-to-buy-60m-london-home-with-offshore-funds. 
  101. ↑ Zalan, Kelly Bloss, Ben Cowdock, and Kira. "Jet-Setting DJ — and Cousin of Azerbaijan's President Aliyev — Accused of Receiving Millions In Suspicious Funds" (in en). https://www.occrp.org/en/azerbaijanilaundromat/jet-setting-dj-and-cousin-of-azerbaijans-president-aliyev-accused-of-receiving-millions-in-suspicious-funds. 
  102. ↑ Bentham, Martin (December 18, 2020). "London couple 'used illicit Azerbaijani funds to send models to Ibiza'" (in en). https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/azerbaijan-laundromat-corrupt-national-crime-agency-b339938.html. 
  103. ↑ Bentham, Martin (July 2, 2021). "Campaigners hail victory for open justice in 'dirty cash' case". https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/campaigners-open-justice-dirty-cash-javadova-national-crime-agency-b943780.html. Retrieved July 5, 2021. 
  104. ↑ Lozovsky, Miranda Patrucic and Ilya. "UK Aims to Seize £15 Million From Family of Azeri Politician" (in en-GB). https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/15402-uk-aims-to-seize-15-million-from-family-of-azeri-politician. 
  105. ↑ "NCA Eyes £15M Linked To 'Azerbaijani Laundromat' Scandal - Law360" (in en). https://www.law360.com/articles/1436398/nca-eyes-15m-linked-to-azerbaijani-laundromat-scandal. 
  106. ↑ "U.K. Crime Agency Seizes $7.5 Million From Azerbaijan Laundromat - BNN Bloomberg". Bloomberg News (BNN). 2022-01-31. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/u-k-crime-agency-seizes-7-5-million-from-azerbaijan-laundromat-1.1715943. 
  107. ↑ "Court approves £5.6m seizure over money laundering" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2022-01-31. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60203664. 

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