Harut Sassounian
BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN
The government of Azerbaijan allocates its multi-billion dollar oil and gas revenue in four ways: 1) Bribery; 2) Theft by President Ilham Aliyev’s family and his cronies; 3) Military purchases; and 4) Other budgetary matters. No wonder the majority of the people in Azerbaijan live in abject poverty, despite the billions of petrodollars earned by Aliyev’s autocracy.
Last week, we covered Azerbaijan’s bribery at the Council of Europe and throughout the world. This week, we present examples of how large amounts of Azerbaijan’s wealth are stolen by the Aliyev family and members of the ruling clan. A U.S. State Department report on human rights referred to the “pervasive corruptionâ€
