Where did the wife of the Azerbaijani banker $ 20 million for shopping and jewelry for half a million
'05.11.2018'
Source: Air force
The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested jewelry worth more than 400 thousand pounds as part of an investigation into the wealth sources of a woman who allegedly spent 16 million pounds (20,7 million dollars) in Harrods department store alone.
We are talking about Zamira Khadzhieva, the wife of a former Azerbaijani banker, who now lives in London. The British authorities demand that she explain where she took the money for the acquisition in London real estate worth a total of 22 million pounds (28,5 million dollars).
The jewels seized within the framework of the case were evaluated at Chrisitie's auction house. According to the newspaper Daily Telegraph, they were going to put up for auction.
In early October, Zamira Khadzhiyeva became the first foreigner in Britain, whose sources of wealth required opening the National Crime Agency.
Khadzhiyeva attracted the attention of law enforcement agencies inexplicably luxurious lifestyle. The wife of the former head of the International Bank of Azerbaijan acquired real estate on 22 million pounds and spent about 120 million pounds on luxury goods and other things at Harrods department store in London alone.
Khadzhiyeva, the newspaper writes, owns a golf club in Ascot worth about 10 million pounds (13 million dollars).
Zamira Khadzhieva is the wife of the former head of the International Bank of Azerbaijan, Jahangir Khadzhiev, who was sentenced in absentia by a Baku court in 2016 to 15 years in prison on charges of embezzlement and fraud.
Jahangir Khadzhiev denied all accusations. At a hearing in the High Court in London, which began in July, the couple called these accusations unfair.
At the beginning of 2018, the British authorities received the right to send inquiries about property of unidentified origin to foreigners owning assets worth 50 thousand pounds (65 thousand dollars).
First of all, we are talking about suspects in criminal activity, as well as about influential political figures from countries outside the European Economic Area.
Necklace for 120 thousand pounds
Khadzhiyeva herself insists that she received all the funds legally, and appealed to the court with a request to stop the NCA investigation.
But this week it became known that the NCA arrested about 50 expensive jewelry, which were pre-evaluated at Chrisitie's.
Among other things we are talking about a necklace of sapphires and rubies Boucheron worth up to 120 thousand pounds (156 thousand dollars).
The Van Cleef & Arpels mother-of-pearl necklace, valued at £ 20 ($ 26), was reportedly purchased by Jahangir Hajiyev in 2008 in St. Moritz. The jewelry was assessed at the request of Khadzhieva's daughter, Leyla Makhmudova.
The NCA declares that it temporarily confiscated these jewels, as it considers it necessary to investigate where the money came from for their purchase.
The Westminster City Court ruled that as part of an investigation into the origin of the money, the NCA may keep the jewelry in place for six months.
What is a request for property of unidentified origin?
A law allowing such requests was made to combat corrupt foreign officials and money laundering in the UK.
According to the National Crime Agency, over the past decades, billions of dirty money of foreign origin has been invested in real estate in the UK.
However, until now it has been extremely difficult to indict such people or confiscate their property due to lack of evidence. Now, however, the new law allows the suspects to be obliged to independently explain the origin of the money.
If they are unable to prove in detail and convincingly the legal origin of capital, the National Crime Agency can now apply to the High Court for the confiscation of property.
