Russian different political circles periodically state that the West is trying to get Armenia on their side in order to alienate it from Russia. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that first of all RF policy towards Armenia and statements of Russian politicians and diplomats strengthen the viewpoint in the Armenian society that Moscow can not be relied on. The gold medal in such statements perhaps belongs to the official representative of the RF Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
The big laundry
In recent days the article about 3 billion US dollars money laundering through opaque companies registered in Great Britain by Azerbaijan’s political elite has been in the spotlight of international press. Let us remind that the facts revealed by the OCCRP, the center on investigation of corruption and organized crime, has shown that the secret “black box” of the ruling elite of Azerbaijan was intended to bribe European politicians, obtain luxury goods and make other bad deals.
RF participation in the laundering
Russia is not apart of the Azerbaijan’s ”black box”. It turns out that in 2012 Rosoboronexport, the Russian state-owned company on military equipment sale, transferred 29 million US dollars to one of the revealed British shell companies. Moreover, minimum 1.8 million US dollars from Rosoboronexport money was transferred to Velasco International offshore company registered in Hungary. According to the Panama Papers that company belongs to Orhan Eyubov, son of the first deputy prime minister of Azerbaijan. In accordance with the disclosed data, money of the Russian military equipment supplier should also be transferred to Inmaxo Capital through another offshore company, the British Metastar Invest.
Naturally, Rosoboronexport refuses to explain what was the real purpose of payment made to offshore companies related to high ranking Azerbaijani officials.
Clear political position
Rosoboronexport is a state company and therefore the Kremlin is not apart of the Azerbaijan’s “black box”. Moreover, on September 8 the Kremlin, in the person of Maria Zakharova, stated that publications of the Guardian and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) about millions of dollars secretly paid by Rosoboronexport are nothing but a part of unleashed information campaign against RF and its allies.
In fact, Zakharova denies the publication that reveals large-scale international crime and possesses clear evidence, protecting its ally Azerbaijan. This statement once again proves that Rosoboronexport has committed its criminal activities under the auspices of the Kremlin.
Anna Pambukhchyan
Union of Informed Citizens