DJ and her husband have been revealed as the couple at the centre of allegations of international money laundering involving millions of pounds.
Izzat Khanim Javadova, the daughter of an Azerbaijani oligarch, and her husband had their identities unmasked after losing a court battle to maintain anonymity yesterday.
They have now been named as the duo accused of being involved in bringing over £14m of suspected dirty money from Azerbaijan.
It is alleged that the couple have being living off the profits of corruption, in a case brought by the National Crime Agency (NCA), in which more than £6 million of their assets have been frozen.
Javadova, who has run club nights in Ibiza and London and whose DJ name is Mikaela Jav, together with her husband Suleyman Javadov, face allegations that they have funded their lifestyle using the proceeds of corruption, reports The Times.
The couple, who deny any impropriety, were named after the London Evening Standard was successful in challenging their anonymity in a High Court battle that lasted two years.
Documents lodged in the case by the NCA, obtained by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, include allegations that the couple used a network of 20 alleged shell companies based in mostly offshore jurisdictions to receive the funds in their UK accounts.
The NCA alleges that the money was moved in such a way that it “would not necessarily involve an auditable trail of banking transactions”.
Javadova, a cousin of President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and a daughter of a former Azeri MP, and her husband are reported to own several properties in London, including a flat in Whitehall, a townhouse overlooking the Thames in Twickenham, west London, and another flat in Clerkenwell, north London. They are also thought to own a beachside villa in Ibiza.
The agency alleges that the money was siphoned out of the couple’s home country under false pretences. The family has argued that it was raised legitimately through its vast property portfolio in Azerbaijan, among other lawful business.
The couple now face a forfeiture hearing beginning on Monday, the NCA said.
The Home Office granted visas to Javadova and her husband to move to the UK more than a decade ago because of their wealth.
Javadova once ran a promotions firm called Love the Underground Records, which held “techno and tech house” parties at leading London venues including Kensington Roof Gardens in west London, the Standard reported.
Her husband is the son of a former deputy energy minister for Azerbaijan and as such should be subject to rigorous scrutiny as a “politically exposed person” under anti-money laundering rules.
The NCA said: “In December 2019 the NCA secured account freezing orders in respect of funds totalling £6,442,346.53, €10,000 and $10,000, held in bank accounts belonging to Suleyman Javadov and his wife Izzat Khanim Javadova.
“A forfeiture hearing for these monies will commence on July 5 at Westminster magistrates’ court. No further details will be available until the conclusion of the case.”
DM
