Corruption in Azerbaijan

Corruption in Azerbaijan is considered high^[1] and occurs at all levels of government.^[2]^[3] Corruption during the Soviet era was rife and persists into the present.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] As of 2024, Azerbaijan has regularly ranked near the bottom of Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.^[10]

Azerbaijan's economy is characterized by corruption and inequality.^[11] The country's oil wealth has significantly strengthened the stability of Ilham Aliyev's regime and enriched ruling elites in Azerbaijan.^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15] The country's oil wealth has enabled the state to host lavish international events, as well as engage in extensive lobbying efforts abroad.^[16]^[17]

In the Azerbaijani laundromat money-laundering scheme, $2.9 billion was paid to foreign politicians and Azerbaijani elites by companies linked to Azerbaijani ruler Ilham Aliyev, government ministries, and the International Bank of Azerbaijan between 2012 and 2014.^[18]

Corruption is prevalent in education, health care and business more generally.^[4] Bribery, nepotism and cronyism are commonplace.^[4] The Aliyev government in Azerbaijan restricts public access to information about the owners and shareholders of Azerbaijani companies.^[19]

^ Heradstveit, Daniel (September 2001). "Democratic development in Azerbaijan and the role of the Western oil industry". Central Asian Survey. 20 (3): 261–288. doi:10.1080/02634930120095312. S2CID 143694591.
^ Öge, Kerem (2014-10-21). "The Limits of Transparency Promotion in Azerbaijan: External Remedies to 'Reverse the Curse'". Europe-Asia Studies. 66 (9): 1482–1500. doi:10.1080/09668136.2014.956448. S2CID 155078060.
^ ""Ilham Aliyev, 2012 Person of the Year in organised crime and corruption". Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cornell, Svante E. (2015). Azerbaijan Since Independence. Routledge. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-317-47620-7.
^ de Waal, Thomas (2002). "Reinventing the Caucasus". World Policy Journal. 19 (1): 51–59. doi:10.1215/07402775-2002-2001. ISSN 0740-2775. JSTOR 40209790. Azerbaijan's corruption is perhaps the worst in the entire former Soviet Union.
^ "How Family that Runs Azerbaijan Built an Empire of Hidden Wealth - ICIJ". 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
^ Altstadt, Audrey L. (1997), Parrott, Bruce; Dawisha, Karen (eds.), "Azerbaijan's struggle toward democracy", Conflict, Cleavage, and Change in Central Asia and the Caucasus, Democratization and Authoritarianism in Post-Communist Societies, Cambridge University Press, pp. 110–155, ISBN 978-0-521-59731-9
^ Aliyev, Huseyn (2017). When Informal Institutions Change: Institutional Reforms and Informal Practices in the Former Soviet Union. University of Michigan Press. pp. 82–83. doi:10.3998/mpub.8772004. ISBN 978-0-472-13047-4. JSTOR 10.3998/mpub.8772004.
^ Altstadt, Audrey L. (2017). Frustrated Democracy in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan. Columbia University Press. pp. 24–25, 109–138. doi:10.7312/alts70456. ISBN 978-0-231-70456-4. JSTOR 10.7312/alts70456.
^ "How A Politically Connected Azerbaijani Tycoon Poured Secretive Millions Into British KFC Franchise". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2024-07-11.
^ Levine, Joshua (2012-08-15). "Big in Baku". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
^ Altstadt, Audrey L. (2017). Frustrated Democracy in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan. Columbia University Press. pp. 114–120. ISBN 978-0-231-80141-6.
^ Waal, Thomas de (2018-11-02). The Caucasus: An Introduction. Oxford University Press. pp. 185–186, 226–229. ISBN 978-0-19-068311-5.
^ Ross, Michael (2012). The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations. Princeton University Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-691-14545-7.
^ Cornell, Svante E. (2015). Azerbaijan Since Independence. Routledge. pp. 210–211, 235. ISBN 978-1-317-47621-4.
^ Project, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting. "The Azerbaijani Laundromat". OCCRP.
^ Harding, Luke; Barr, Caelainn; Nagapetyants, Dina (September 4, 2017). "Everything you need to know about the Azerbaijani Laundromat". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
^ "Everything you need to know about the Azerbaijani Laundromat". the Guardian. 2017-09-04. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
^ "'Official Partners' of Azerbaijan's COP29 Climate Summit Linked To Ruling Aliyev Family and Their Inner Circle". OCCRP. 2024.

[1] Heradstveit, Daniel (September 2001). "Democratic development in Azerbaijan and the role of the Western oil industry". Central Asian Survey. 20 (3): 261–288. doi:10.1080/02634930120095312. S2CID 143694591.

[2] Öge, Kerem (2014-10-21). "The Limits of Transparency Promotion in Azerbaijan: External Remedies to 'Reverse the Curse'". Europe-Asia Studies. 66 (9): 1482–1500. doi:10.1080/09668136.2014.956448. S2CID 155078060.

[:23-3] ""Ilham Aliyev, 2012 Person of the Year in organised crime and corruption". Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.

[:0-4] Cornell, Svante E. (2015). Azerbaijan Since Independence. Routledge. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-317-47620-7.

[5] Waal, Thomas (2002). "Reinventing the Caucasus". World Policy Journal. 19 (1): 51–59. doi:10.1215/07402775-2002-2001. ISSN 0740-2775. JSTOR 40209790. Azerbaijan's corruption is perhaps the worst in the entire former Soviet Union.

[:13-6] "How Family that Runs Azerbaijan Built an Empire of Hidden Wealth - ICIJ". 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2021-07-11.

[:03-7] Altstadt, Audrey L. (1997), Parrott, Bruce; Dawisha, Karen (eds.), "Azerbaijan's struggle toward democracy", Conflict, Cleavage, and Change in Central Asia and the Caucasus, Democratization and Authoritarianism in Post-Communist Societies, Cambridge University Press, pp. 110–155, ISBN 978-0-521-59731-9

[8] Aliyev, Huseyn (2017). When Informal Institutions Change: Institutional Reforms and Informal Practices in the Former Soviet Union. University of Michigan Press. pp. 82–83. doi:10.3998/mpub.8772004. ISBN 978-0-472-13047-4. JSTOR 10.3998/mpub.8772004.

[9] Altstadt, Audrey L. (2017). Frustrated Democracy in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan. Columbia University Press. pp. 24–25, 109–138. doi:10.7312/alts70456. ISBN 978-0-231-70456-4. JSTOR 10.7312/alts70456.

[10] "How A Politically Connected Azerbaijani Tycoon Poured Secretive Millions Into British KFC Franchise". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2024-07-11.

[:2-11] Levine, Joshua (2012-08-15). "Big in Baku". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.

[:12-12] Altstadt, Audrey L. (2017). Frustrated Democracy in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan. Columbia University Press. pp. 114–120. ISBN 978-0-231-80141-6.

[:22-13] Waal, Thomas de (2018-11-02). The Caucasus: An Introduction. Oxford University Press. pp. 185–186, 226–229. ISBN 978-0-19-068311-5.

[14] Ross, Michael (2012). The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations. Princeton University Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-691-14545-7.

[15] Cornell, Svante E. (2015). Azerbaijan Since Independence. Routledge. pp. 210–211, 235. ISBN 978-1-317-47621-4.

[:02-16] Project, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting. "The Azerbaijani Laundromat". OCCRP.

[17] Harding, Luke; Barr, Caelainn; Nagapetyants, Dina (September 4, 2017). "Everything you need to know about the Azerbaijani Laundromat". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.

[18] "Everything you need to know about the Azerbaijani Laundromat". the Guardian. 2017-09-04. Retrieved 26 May 2021.

[19] "'Official Partners' of Azerbaijan's COP29 Climate Summit Linked To Ruling Aliyev Family and Their Inner Circle". OCCRP. 2024.

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