{"id":2551,"date":"2017-09-05T14:45:10","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T14:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/?p=2551"},"modified":"2017-09-05T14:45:10","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T14:45:10","slug":"embarrassing-report-claims-azerbaijan-considers-malta-one-of-its-provinces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/covcasbulletin.info\/?p=2551","title":{"rendered":"Embarrassing Report Claims Azerbaijan \u2018Considers Malta One Of Its Provinces\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

By TIM DIACONO
\nLovin Malta<\/em><\/p>\n

Malta a ‘key location’ used by corrupt Azerbaijani officials to hide their money, report warns<\/strong><\/p>\n

Azerbaijani oligarchs consider Malta to be \u201cone of its provinces\u201d, according to an extensive report<\/a> into how the South Caucasus nation uses \u201ccaviar diplomacy\u201d<\/a> [link provided by CB ed.]<\/em> to buy the influence of Western politicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to our sources in Baku, Malta is considered by Azerbaijani oligarchs as one of the \u2018provinces\u2019 of Azerbaijan,\u201d the report by the Civic Solidarity Platform, published in March, states. \u201cMalta is one of the key locations where corrupt Azerbaijani officials kept their money in offshore banks, along with Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Dubai, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Anglu Farrugia with Ilham Aliyev during a trip to Azerbaijan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The report flags how Malta\u2019s Speaker Anglu Farrugia had led several delegations to observe elections in Azerbaijan and how he always spoke positively of them, ignoring electoral fraud and gross human rights violations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn October 2013, Farrugia described the presidential elections in Azerbaijan as ‘fair, democratic and transparent’,\u201d the report states. \u201cHis assessment sharply conflicted with that of ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) observers who said they had documented \u2018widespread irregularities, including ballot-box stuffing and what appeared to be fraudulent counting\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report questions the timing of Farrugia\u2019s 2013 visit to Azerbaijan, noting it came only a few days before the ElectroGas consortium, which includes Azerbaijani state-owned Socar Trading, won a bid to construct and operate a LNG power station in Delimara.<\/p>\n

Farrugia, a former Labour deputy leader, visited Azerbaijan again in 2015 when the country held controversial parliamentary elections, and again the following year to observe a constitutional referendum, as head of a mission by the European Academy of Elections Observation.<\/p>\n

The report also flags former Labour MP Joe Debono Grech\u2019s close links with Azerbaijan, noting he was in 2009 appointed co-rapporteur on human rights in Azerbaijan by the Council of Europe\u2019s parliamentary assembly PACE, getting the role ahead of a Norwegian MP \u201cknown for her human rights credentials\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cLater, when Debono Grech left this position, during a PACE debate on Azerbaijan in 2015 he failed to make any mention of imprisoned human rights activist Annar Mammadli, after having himself flagged Mammadli\u2019s politically motivated imprisonment in 2013,\u201d the report reads. \u201cIn a debate on a new report on Azerbaijan\u2019s ailing democratic institutions he complained that Azerbaijan was never absent from the Parliamentary Assembly\u2019s agenda and warned that \u2018the oil and gas-rich republic could head down the road of Libya or Iraq if president Ilham Aliyev is removed.\u2019<\/p>\n

It adds Debono Grech was part of a scheme developed by key Azerbaijani lobbyists in PACE to defeat a human rights report condemning the Aliyev regime\u2019s treatment of political prisoners.<\/p>\n

Simon Busuttil questions Malta links to Azerbaijan slush fund<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier today, outgoing PN leader Simon Busuttil questioned whether any Maltese politician has benefited from a secret $2.8 billion slush fund, which Azerbaijani\u2019s elite had used to bribe European politicians as part of their \u201ccaviar diplomacy\u201d.<\/p>\n

\n

The Question is: did anyone in high public office in #Malta<\/a> benefit from this slush fund? https:\/\/t.co\/JFHN6AB2fv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Simon Busuttil (@SimonBusuttil) September 5, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n