Source: Azadliq.org, OCCRP
Ilham Aliyev’s
Aide
for Public and Political Affairs, Ali Hasanov, accused
OCCRP
of black PR following the May 27, 2015 release of an investigative report documenting the opaque deal between Azerbaijan’s Telecom Company and the Swedish-Finnish TeliaSonera,
Azadliq.org
reported on May 28, 2015.
In an interview with Baku-based
virutalaz.org,
Hasanov said the investigative report was part of certain circles in the West engaged in “black public relations” campaign against Azerbaijan.
“Such institutions that are in close contact with some Western circles are used as tools to pressure independent countries like Azerbaijan. The very same institutions, publish unfounded and false materials disguised under the “journalistic investigations” stories against some countries, including Azerbaijan,” he said.
“We also inform them, that such cheap and primitive methods won’t work in Azerbaijan. They can be assured they won’t succeed at influencing Azerbaijan’s independent policies and will get an deserved response,” Hasanov said.
The OCCRP story, based on the original reporting by jailed Azerbaijani investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova, was the product of three months of perusing hundreds of pages of business records, annual reports and internal documents related to the deal. The story was prepared by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Swedish Television’s program “Uppdrag Granskning” (“Mission Investigate”) and the Swedish News Agency TT.
The analysis uncovered a scheme to transfer the states shares of the profitable mobile carrier into the hands of a “local partner” with numerous links to the ruling Aliyev family, according to the OCCRP report.
Read the full report
here
