YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS.  The recent scandalous revelations linked with Azerbaijan prove that there can be no normal interaction with Aerbaijan as a state, and above all no EU agreements with it, MEP from Luxemburg Frank Engel told ARMENPRESS commenting on the recent loud developments over Azerbaijan, particularly the “Azerbaijani Laundromat” corruption scandal which the European Parliament will investigate.

“An amendment was tabled to a report adopted on governance in Eastern Partnership countries last week. That amendment condemned Aazerbaijani state policy of corrupting officials in Europe in the strongest possible terms, and was adopted by plenary. This text also calls for an inquiry into the possible ramifications of Azerbaijani payments or other corruption practices within the institutions of the European Union. Interestingly, there were quite a few colleagues who voted against the amendment – I cannot imagine that they did so without pressure from Azerbaijan”, he stated.  

To the conviction of the MEP, all these revelations just show how great influence Azerbaijan has on the EU Member States. And this is the main reason why the entire network of the corrupted supporters of Azerbaijan inside EU institutions and Member States should be investigated in detail.

“I remember the revelations by a Bulgarian journalist concerning diplomatic AZ flight used for all sorts of illegal and reprehensible practices. This journalist has lost her job in the meantime. This indicates to me how far-reaching Aerbaijani influence in member states of the EU is, and constitutes all the more reason to inquire in detail into their network of paid and corrupted supporters - in EU institutions and in member states.

Hungarian investigative journalists have now revealed, on the basis of the Panama papers data, that millions of euros were paid into offshore accounts in Hungary just before and for months after the transfer of Ramil Safarov to Aerbaijan. The transactions took place between pre-existing companies which have been liquidated some time afterwards. It will be as good as impossible to determine who exactly, as a physical person, paid to which other physical person - but the facts are such that there can now be no reasonable doubt that the transfer of Safarov was bought. This should inspire Hungarian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter - if there is an authority left in that country which would dare to investigate such a thing”, MEP Engel concluded.

Syuzi Muradyan