Thread by @OCCRP

NEW: A popular London-based DJ turns out to be the cousin of Azerbaijan’s president.

She and her husband received millions from 20 offshore firms — at least 6 of which are part of a $2.9b money laundering scheme known as the #AzerbaijaniLaundromat 1/
occrp.org/en/azerbaijani…

The Azeri couple is currently under investigation in the UK, but a court order blocked the release of their names.

In May, the @EveningStandard won a legal appeal to reverse this decision, which came into force today. Here’s what we found 👇 2/

Izzat Khanim Javadova, aka "Mikaela Jav," and her husband, whose father is an ex-deputy energy minister, received $19m from the opaque network of offshore firms. This shows, for the first time, that a member of Azerbaijan’s ruling family used the #AzerbaijaniLaundromat. 3/

Where did this money come from?

The Javadovs told the UK’s National Crime Agency that the money was rental income from their properties in Azerbaijan. But records show this story to be unlikely. 4/

This investigation shows how relatives and associates of Azerbaijan’s authoritarian president Aliyev are able to live and enjoy their wealth, largely untroubled, in Western countries. It also shows how they take advantage of vast mechanisms set up to move suspicious money. 5/

For more on the #AzerbaijaniLaundromat — the money movement system that contained the companies that sent cash to the Javadovs — read our earlier investigations. 6/
occrp.org/en/azerbaijani…