British Court Allows Seizure of $7.6 Million from Azerbaijani MP's Family

The UK’s National Crime Agency will seize £5.6 million ($7.56 million) from the British bank accounts of family members of Azerbaijani politician Javanshir Feyziyev. According to Hetq.am, this information is noted on the organization's website.

The agency states that the funds were involved in a mass money laundering scheme exposed by OCCRP back in 2017. The investigation revealed that the funds subject to forfeiture originated from the so-called 'Azerbaijani Laundromat', a complex money laundering system through which €2.9 billion was funneled over two years via fake companies. Accounts were also registered in Estonia and Latvia, and some of the transactions were accompanied by documents regarding operational activities. However, the court concluded that these documents were false and "created to conceal money laundering."

In November, the National Crime Agency requested to freeze £15 million ($20.25 million) from Feyziyev’s associates’ accounts, but the court approved only one-third of that amount. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the court's decision. A representative of the agency stated that "this is a significant seizure of funds laundered through the 'Azerbaijani Laundromat', reflecting the risks associated with those who engage in such schemes."

A representative of the Feyziyev family told The Guardian that while they were "disappointed" by the seizure of funds, they were "satisfied" to have won a large portion of the claim and received the court's confirmation that neither Javanshir Feyziyev nor any of the respondents engaged in corruption."

Feyziyev is a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament, the chair of the UK-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Working Group, and a co-chair of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.