Russian media claims that the arrested oligarch holds British citizenship and the yacht of the actual owner of the sanctioned "Lukoil"...
The arrest of Adnan Ahmadzadeh, former deputy vice-president for Investments and Marketing of SOCAR, has also attracted the attention of Russian media.
Musavat.com reports that ruscriminal.info has made interesting claims about the arrest of A. Ahmadzadeh. For example, according to the site’s claim, Adnan Ahmadzadeh, who was arrested in Baku, holds not only Azerbaijani citizenship but also British citizenship. "How he obtained it is only known to him and the British authorities," the article states. It should be noted that dual citizenship refers to a person being a citizen of two countries and both countries officially recognizing this status. Dual citizenship is only possible when there is a bilateral agreement between countries. The Republic of Azerbaijan does not recognize dual citizenship. Therefore, official confirmation of this information regarding A. Ahmadzadeh is necessary.
Another interesting claim is that A. Ahmadzadeh registered the "Galactica Super Nova" superyacht, valued at $108 million, in his name with the consent of Vahid Alekperov, the honorary president of Russia’s second largest oil company "Lukoil" and an oligarch of Azerbaijani origin. It is known that since the start of the Ukraine war, the West has imposed sanctions on Russian oligarchs, and their properties, including superyachts detained in European ports, have also been seized.
The article makes it clear that A. Ahmadzadeh transferred V. Alekperov’s yacht to his own name, thereby shielding the asset from sanctions. It is not excluded that the British government’s request regarding A. Ahmadzadeh’s illegal transactions played a role in this arrest.
Co-owner of the "Lukoil" company and billionaire Vahid Alekperov most likely sold the 70-meter "Galactica Super Nova" superyacht last year.
The "Galactica Super Nova" was put up for sale in August 2021. Alekperov was asking 75 million euros for the yacht. Previously, the yacht belonged to Alekperov’s Malta-based company "Nova 70 LTD." However, according to Marine Portal information, on July 11 of last year, the yacht was transferred to "Six Star Shipping LTD," an unknown offshore company from the Marshall Islands. Two months later, the yacht’s name was changed, and it was registered in the name of Adnan Ahmadzadeh* (Luxstar LTD). This step is claimed to have been taken to evade sanctions and conceal assets.
If these claims are true, it means that the superyacht was registered under the name of a British citizen (Adnan Ahmadzadeh) and then disappeared from international tracking systems in the Mediterranean (through GPS deactivation).
Thus, Adnan Ahmadzadeh used British citizenship to legally cover up Alekperov’s property.
