State resources are being used to serve the private interests of President Ilham Aliyev’s grandsons’ business event, according to evidence obtained by Qazetci.
Ali and Mikayil Agalarov, the sons of Leyla Aliyeva and businessman Emin Agalarov, arrived at the openings of their private business ventures in Baku in official vehicles belonging to the Presidential Administration.
The twin brothers opened a burger restaurant and matcha café in central Baku with the backing of their father, Emin Agalarov, the Azerbaijani-Russian singer and businessman who is the son of Russian billionaire Aras Agalarov.
The vehicles carried the registration numbers 10-PA-028, 10-PM-086 and 10-PA-031 are owned by the State Special Protection Service, the agency responsible for the security of the country’s senior leadership.
Article 108 of Azerbaijan’s constitution states that the State Special Protection Service is responsible for ensuring the security of the president and the vice-president’s family. However, the constitution does not define who qualifies as a member of the president’s family.
The lawyer Samad Rahimli said Azerbaijan has no separate law governing the entitlements of a sitting president. However, the Constitutional Law on the Guarantees of the Former President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Members of His Family provides a clear definition of the term “the president’s family”. Under that law, the president’s family consists of the president’s spouse and children under the age of 18 who are in the president’s care, including adopted and stepchildren.
“In this context, the reference to the president’s family in Article 108 of the constitution should be understood as applying to the president, the president’s spouse and children under the age of 18,” Rahimli said. “Under Azerbaijani law, the president’s grandchildren or other relatives cannot, under any circumstances, be considered members of the president’s family. They are therefore not entitled to use state property or enjoy the privileges granted to the president.”
The use of official resources was not limited to vehicles from the Presidential Administration and personnel from the State Special Protection Service. As Ali and Mikayil travelled to the opening ceremonies for their private businesses, they were also escorted by a State Traffic Police vehicle — a privilege typically reserved for the president’s motorcade.
Emin Ahmadbayov, a police major who served for many years in the State Traffic Police, told Qazetci that Azerbaijani law permits motorcade escorts and police convoy vehicles only for the president and the first vice-president.
“The president’s family members, including his grandchildren, have no legal right to travel in a motorcade or to have a State Traffic Police vehicle clear the route ahead of them”, he said.
Qazetci contacted the Presidential Administration for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.
Afgan Mukhtarli