YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS. New details are emerging around the notorious state sanctioned money laundering scheme of Azerbaijan: one of the concealed sides of the corruption scandal is the Southern Gas Corridor, which will deliver Azeri gas to Europe.

Azerbaijani media report that the “Azerbaijani Laundromat” case has a very important side, which however was ignored and both The Guardian and other news agencies failed to cover it.

Total spending for the Southern Gas Corridor construction amount 45 billion dollars.

One of the main reasons for the Azerbaijani authorities to engage in such large-scale corruption deals is the attempt to create a positive image of the country in Europe, since this important project, which requires billions of dollars, cannot be implemented by Azerbaijan without Europe’s support.

An investigation shows that Azerbaijan's ruling elite operated a secret $2.8bn “slush fund” for two years to bribe European politicians and make luxury purchases.

The money was allegedly channelled through four UK-based opaque companies.

The secret fund, nicknamed the Azerbaijan Laundromat, operated for two years until 2014, according to the investigation, carried out by a consortium of European newspapers and published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

The origin of the money was unclear, the report said, but there was "ample evidence of its connection to the family of President Ilham Aliyev".

Much of the money was said to have been paid to lobbyists, journalists, politicians and businessmen.