Azerbaijan embroiled in allegations of secret £2.2bn slush fund

Azerbaijan, the oil-rich former Soviet state, has been laundering money through the UK, an investigation has revealed, with a secret £2.2bn fund to pay off European politicians.

According to an investigation carried out by a consortium of European newspapers and published by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, from 2012 to 2014 Azerbaijan's ruling elite allegedly operated a secret slush fund, nicknamed the Azerbaijan Laundromat, utilising four shell companies registered in the UK.

Once recycled, the funds were then used to lobby European politicians who adopted a favourable attitude towards the government in Baku, as well as buying luxury goods for the Azeri elite.

Banking records leaked to Danish newspaper Berlingske revealed the scale of the money laundering operations, with payments having been made to several former members of the Council of Europe, according to the Guardian.

However, there was no suggestion that all of the recipients had been aware of the original source of the money.

Even so, while the origin of the money might be unclear, the investigation alleged there was "ample evidence of its connection to the family of President Ilham Aliyev."

Azerbaijan's government has not yet commented on the allegations.