Are Emmanuel Macron’s companions under investigation in Azerbaijan?

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Allegations have arisen over time that imposing international sanctions on billionaires is in some cases related to pressure on them for financial purposes, with subsequent secret deals being made between these billionaires and high-level political figures.

In this regard, a case that has been coming to prominence recently is particularly noteworthy.

In 2018, negotiations occurred between Alexandre Benalla, the head of French President E. Macron’s security service and Farhad Ahmadov, a Russian billionaire of Azerbaijani origin, regarding the release of the latter’s famous yacht “Luna“, one of the most expensive in the world, from detention in Dubai and the protection of himself and his property from future sanctions and Benalla undertook to resolve this issue at the appropriate levels in return for an initial bribe amount of $6,140,000.

According to the mutual agreement, F. Ahmadov transferred half of that money to A. Benalla’s bank account opened in the French branch of “BANK OF AFRICA UNITED KINGDOM PLC SC PAR” and to the bank account of A. Benalla’s associate, Anass Derraz, opened “AL HILAL BANK”, who is a French citizen of Moroccan origin like him.

Since part of F. Ahmadov’s agriculture business is based in Azerbaijan, the indicated transactions attracted the attention of the internal security authorities of Azerbaijan, and after investigations, they started a criminal case related to this fact.

Also, it turns out that this episode of the famous criminal case against A. Benalla was covered up earlier in France itself, and the investigation was terminated.

However, A. Derraz, who was involved in the crime committed by A. Benalla and later due to his “special services” promoted to the position of vice president of France’s largest international water and sewage system drawing company “Saur”, was brought to justice in Baku by the investigation body of the State Security Service and house arrest was imposed on him as a preventive measure.

Although A. Derraz appealed to the French embassy in Azerbaijan, the embassy showed its inability to defend A. Derraz, whose appeals did not stop.

It becomes obvious to A. Derraz’s defenders that although the official legal request from the Azerbaijani side regarding the details of the criminal case has been received by the relevant French institutions, which should respond to the request, are faced with a difficult situation due to the essence of the matter.

They are mostly afraid of the consequences of publicizing the issue of receiving bribes from people under international sanctions.

We are following this topic with special attention, which is likely to become a long-term international scandal.

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