Aliyev's Niece Transferred £14 Million from Azerbaijan to Britain through Money Laundering

The British court has revealed the identity of a couple who illegally brought £14 million into the United Kingdom through the "Azerbaijani laundromat." The court granted the request of the British Evening Standard newspaper, which uncovered that Izat Khanim Javadova, who works as a DJ under the pseudonym Mikaela Javad, and her husband Suleiman Javad are closely linked to the Azerbaijani leadership.

Specifically, Javadova is the niece of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, being the daughter of Jalal Aliyev, the brother of former President Heydar Aliyev. She has been in London for at least ten years, managing to secure a visa due to her wealth. The National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom accuses the couple of using criminal funds to finance their lifestyle in London. The agency is currently seeking to freeze their multi-million-pound bank accounts.

It has informed the court that the funds are being laundered in Britain through a complex web of transactions and transfers that obscure their actual illegal sources. The couple owns several properties worth millions of pounds in London, a villa, and a luxury apartment in Ibiza, as well as an extensive portfolio of properties in Azerbaijan.

It is also known that the niece of the Azerbaijani president has established an organization in London that organizes parties in the city and various events in Ibiza, Spain. The couple has denied the charges against them and has persuaded the court to keep their identities secret, claiming that otherwise, it would severely damage their reputation.

However, after two years of legal proceedings, the Evening Standard has succeeded in revealing their identities. Court hearings are set to begin next week, during which the National Crime Agency will attempt to seize around £6.5 million belonging to the couple across accounts at Coutts, Barclays, Lloyds, Metro Bank, and Santander.

Ilham Aliyev’s niece and her husband have told investigators that the funds were generated from leasing their properties in Azerbaijan. However, the National Crime Agency has informed the court that they believe the actual source of the money is corruption, asserting that no legitimate income aligns with the large sums being sent to London.

The court will examine evidence indicating that the Javadovs received funds in their UK accounts from the "Azerbaijani laundromat’s" services between 2007 and 2018. Court documents state that funds were transferred to the Javadovs' accounts from 21 entities based in locations as diverse as the Seychelles and the Marshall Islands to Porters Bar in England, as well as banks in Estonia and Latvia.