Sources: Contact.az, Kavkaz Uzel
Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov lashed out at a journalist at a May 23, 2015 press conference about the May 19 fire,
contact.az
reported on May 25.
When asked by an unspecified reporter about what company will undertake reconstruction work of the burned down building in Baku’s Binagadi district, Sharifov replied the following: “None of your business! Why do you need to know this? For example, Alabala will. We’ll decide on our own. That doesn’t concern the press!”
The deputy prime minister then added: “It will be my company. Write about this!”
Contact.az reports that derogatory attitude and insults against reporters are common in Azerbaijan and comments that the journalist’s question was significant, given lack of transparency in public procurement and renovation work.
According to
Kavkaz Uzel
, 15 people were killed in the May 19, 2015 fire caused by inflammable plastic cladding used to decorate buildings. Other media outlets estimated the death toll at
16
. Sixty-five residents were injured and hospitalized. Nine have been arrested in total, including head of Global Construction Miryusif Makhmudov, in connection with Baku fires in Binagadi and Khatai districts on May 19 and April 10, 2015 respectively.
