- \n
- Offshore companies owned by Eyyubov\u2019s wife and daughter spent $114 million on real estate in the United Kingdom. The family, including Eyyubov himself, also own over $46 million in properties in Dubai.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The source of this wealth is a mystery. Eyyubov has been on a government salary for over 30 years. As of 2020, his annual official income had never exceeded $22,000.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Reporters found what appears to be a close relationship between Eyyubov and Sulkhan Papashvili, a wealthy Georgian businessman who has interests in Azerbaijan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Papashvili has entered into joint commercial ventures with members of Eyyubov\u2019s family, and his longtime business partner has been involved in managing some of their London properties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Few could claim to enjoy the trust of Azerbaijan\u2019s authoritarian leader. But one man could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He is Baylar Eyyubov, the head of presidential security for the entire two decades of Ilham Aliyev\u2019s rule. In event after official event, the thick-set, mustached Eyyubov can be seen hurrying to remain by the president\u2019s side and personally opening the doors of his limousine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, Eyyubov, 73, has served in his role even longer than the president himself. He used to provide the same service to Aliyev\u2019s father, Heydar, who ruled Azerbaijan during the country\u2019s first decade of post-Soviet independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Azerbaijan, a resource-rich dictatorship that consistently ranks among the world\u2019s most corrupt nations, access to wealth and power often depends on proximity to the Aliyevs. So it\u2019s no surprise that Eyyubov, who has also married into the ruling family, is widely seen to be influential. But the security chief has always maintained a cloak of secrecy around himself and his relatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a new investigation based on corporate documents and land records in multiple countries, OCCRP<\/a>, its Azerbaijani partner Mikroskop Media, and its Georgian partner iFact can reveal his family\u2019s holdings for the first time. The Eyyubovs own real estate in the United Kingdom and Dubai that cost at least $160 million to acquire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their holdings are crowned by three mansions owned by Eyyubov\u2019s wife and daughter, Zohra Sultanova and Elvira Eyyubova, all on the same street in an exclusive corner of North London. Elvira also owns two penthouses and a luxury apartment closer to the city center, another apartment in Canterbury, and a house in a seaside Dorset town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The family holds these U.K. assets through secretive offshore companies that acquired them between 2007 and 2018. Reporters have been unable to trace these firms\u2019 sources of financing, and even the fact that they belong to the Eyyubovs has only now emerged because of a 2022 law that requires overseas entities that own British real estate to disclose their beneficial owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Dubai, where real estate ownership data is normally not available to the public, Eyyubov and several family members own villas and office space in their own names, according to leaked documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eyyubov\u2019s wife also holds shares in two businesses: a well-reviewed London cafe and an upscale hotel in the Georgian resort town of Batumi. Neither of these was in operation before 2014, meaning they couldn\u2019t have contributed to bankrolling the family\u2019s real estate purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So for now, the source of the Eyyubovs\u2019 wealth remains a mystery. At least until 2020, the last year this information is available, Eyyubov\u2019s official annual salary has never exceeded $22,000. His wife\u2019s current employment status is unknown, but in 2016 she was listed as an employee of Azerbaijan\u2019s State Institute of Botany. His daughter Elvira is a U.K.-based life coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/eyyubov-aliyev-circle-1024x731.jpg\")
Baylar Eyyubov (circled) accompanies Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva as they participate in the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan in 2023. credit:president.az<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The couple have at least five other children, but reporters were not able to establish whether any of them have significant independent sources of income. Azerbaijani corporate records do not reveal the owners of companies, and Tax Ministry data, available online until 2012, only reveals that one of Eyyubov\u2019s daughters once co-owned a horse riding club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eyyubov also has a wealthy brother named Rafig Hasanov. There is no paper trail showing that he ever gave any money or assets to Eyyubov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reporters were able to find just one record of Eyyubov receiving a transfer of cash. In 2007, the same year the family\u2019s U.K. property acquisitions began, a company he owned in the British Virgin Islands received $250,000 from a New Zealand shell company. The origin of the money is unknown, but the New Zealand company has been alleged by Danske Bank, where it held an account, to have engaged in money laundering in a separate scandal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The corporate records examined for this story contained another interesting finding. In both the London cafe and the Georgian hotel, Eyyubov\u2019s wife and two of his daughters have a notable business partner: a wealthy Georgian businessman named Sulkhan Papashvili with interests in the Azerbaijani energy sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reporters have uncovered no documentary evidence that Eyyubov or any members of his family received any money or assets from Papashvili. But the circumstances raise questions about the nature of the relationship \u2014 particularly since companies owned by Papashvili\u2019s longtime business partner and a relative are also involved in managing the Eyyubov family\u2019s real estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eyyubov and his family members did not reply to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response to reporters\u2019 questions, a law firm representing Papashvili wrote that Eyyubov has never been in a position to exert influence in the energy business and that inferring any connection between Papashvili\u2019s energy business and his interactions with the Eyyubov family is \u201cclearly illogical and thus misleading.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Raze, Rebuild, Repeat<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Courtenay Avenue, which runs between the sprawling green acres of Hampstead Heath and the 18-hole Highgate Golf Club, has been described as one of London\u2019s most expensive streets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Eyyubovs\u2019 three mansions on this gated cul-de-sac were purchased for a total of \u00a363 million ($94 million). But in fact that is just a fraction of the money that has been poured into the properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their first house there \u2014 a red-brick and timber mansion known as Somerlese that stood at the end of the street \u2014 no longer exists. Less than two years after acquiring it for \u00a317 million ($26 million) in 2014, the offshore company that owns it obtained permission to replace it with an even grander residence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to photos posted by its architect on Instagram, the new Somerlese was largely completed by January 2023. A planning document for the three-story, six-bedroom home includes an indoor swimming pool, a gym, a wine cellar, a steam room, a cinema, and living space for multiple staff members. The cost of its construction is unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/somerlese-collage-mansion-1-Medium-1-1024x550.jpg\")
An architectural planning document of the Somerlese mansion and the finished property posted on Instagram by the architectural firm Christopher Tredway Architects. Credit: Screenshot of instagram post by @christredwayarc (left)\/gov.uk (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Just one house away is the family\u2019s Branksome mansion. Acquired by another offshore company for \u00a315 million ($20 million) in 2018, it has also been fully demolished and replaced at an unknown cost. Planning documents show that the new six-bedroom \u201cBranksome\u201d includes an elevator, a cinema, a games room, a gym, and a pool with a jacuzzi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Branksome-old-property-Medium-1-1024x683.jpg\")
The Branksome mansion before being rebuilt. Credit: gov.uk <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/branksome-collage-mansion-2-Medium-1-1024x550.jpg\")
An architectural rendition of the new Branksome mansion and the mansion under construction. Credit: 2024-Carty Forde Construction LTD (left)\/gov.uk (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n The third of the family\u2019s Courtney Avenue properties \u2014 the \u201cBeaulieu\u201d \u2014 is next door. Land records show that the mansion was purchased by Eyyubov\u2019s wife Sultanova for \u00a331 million ($47 million) in 2015 and then transferred to yet another offshore company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Beaulieu, unlike Somerlese and Branksome, has not been razed and rebuilt. In an advertisement posted by the realtor who handled the sale<\/a>, this home is described as a \u201cmagnificent new mansion\u201d featuring a \u201cfusion of classical style with cutting edge technology,\u201d nine bedrooms (including two for staff) each with their own \u201cluxury bathroom,\u201d a large elevator, a sauna, a massage room, and a swimming pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/beaulieu-collage-mansion-3-Medium-1-1024x550.jpg\")
The Beaulieu mansion posted on a realtor website. Credit: 2024 by Glentree Estates 698 Finchley Road, London NW11 7NE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Through more offshore companies, Eyyubov\u2019s daughter Elvira appears to own an additional five properties in the United Kingdom, purchased for a total of over \u00a312 million ($20 million). One of them \u2014 a 10th floor apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows and views across London \u2014 has been offered for rent at \u00a31,925 (over $2400) per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elvira’s Other U.K. Properties<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/photo_2024-05-13_16-27-42-1024x522.jpg\")
Made with Flourish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n According to her website<\/a>, Eyyubova runs a life coaching business in London called Coach Soaring Wings. The site reveals little of her background beyond an acknowledgement that she has been \u201cfortunate enough to be able to visit a variety of countries and discover many cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eyyubova\u2019s rates \u2014 \u00a3120 for six one-hour coaching sessions, or \u00a339 for a single session \u2014 do little to explain her real estate holdings, the first of which was acquired when she was just 20 years old. She did not respond to requests for comment about her assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Eyyubov family\u2019s Dubai real estate includes more than a dozen properties held by Eyyubov, Sultanova, and three of his children, including Elvira. Most are villas located on various \u201cfronds\u201d of the Palm Jumeirah, an artificial island in the shape of a palm tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Eyyubovs\u2019 Dubai Properties<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reporters learned about the Eyyubov family\u2019s Dubai properties through a set of leaked 2020 real estate data provided by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS). The current ownership of each property has been independently verified.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Four villas on Frond C<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eyyubov acquired four 4-6 bedroom villas here in various years since 2006. In 2023, he transferred one to his wife Zohra Sultanova and another to his son Elnur, while keeping one for himself. The current status of the fourth villa is unclear, but Eyyubov owned it as of 2020. The villas are worth an estimated $26 million today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two villas on Frond E<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eyyubov bought a 6-bedroom and a 4-bedroom villa here in an unknown year. In 2023, he transferred them to his daughters Elvira and Samra. Today they are worth an estimated $24 million. Heydar Aliyev, the son of Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, owned four villas nearby as of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Villa on Frond A<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Baylar Eyyubov once owned a two-story, five-bedroom villa here that is worth an estimated $8.5 million today. In 2023, he transferred it to his brother Rafig Hasanov, who also owns another villa next door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Villa on Jumeirah Islands<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
At some point, Eyyubov acquired a five-bedroom villa on the Jumeirah Island development, a community of 46 \u201cclusters\u201d of homes set on islands in an artificial lake. He sold the home at some point after 2020. Today this villa is worth over $6.5 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commercial and Office Space<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eyyubov also once owned a commercial space on the first floor of the O2 Residence, a 41-story residential building, and continues to own an office space in the Smart Heights business center. Together, these two properties are worth an estimated $1 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/palm-dubai-Medium-1-1024x683.jpg\")
The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Credit: Lubos Paukeje\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n “Constant Direct Access to the President”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Eyyubov\u2019s glittering portfolio of luxury real estate seems worlds away from his earlier years. In the Soviet era, he reportedly worked for the local Internal Affairs Ministry in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was already well-connected, having married the grand-niece of Heydar Aliyev, then a powerful Communist Party boss in Moscow. But the family also lived through lean times, particularly after Aliyev returned to Nakhchivan amid the economic chaos of the Soviet collapse. Aliyev once recalled staying at his sister\u2019s home and listening in on conversations between his two grandnieces\u2019 husbands, one of whom was Eyyubov, as they struggled to find meat to feed the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But by 1993, Aliyev was president of an independent Azerbaijan and the family\u2019s fortunes were on the rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other grandniece\u2019s husband, Vasif Talibov, became the dictatorial head of Nakhchivan<\/a>. And Eyyubov was entrusted as the head of presidential security, a position he has retained through the succession of Ilham Aliyev to the presidency and a security service shake-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 2010 report by the International Crisis Group named Eyyubov as one of Azerbaijan\u2019s most influential figures, noting that he \u201cis one of the few people to have constant direct access to the president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/limousine-president-Medium-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Baylar Eyyubov (right), head of presidential security for Azerbaijan\u2019s president, Ilham Aliyev (left), opens the limousine door for his boss. Credit: YouTube screenshot\/AzadliqRadiosu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n There have also been claims of impropriety. In a 2008 U.S. diplomatic cable leaked by Wikileak<\/a>, a French businessman is reported to have claimed that Eyyubov pressured him to sell him a 40-percent stake in one of Azerbaijan\u2019s largest local breweries. Allegedly fearing for his multimillion-dollar investment, the businessman sold his stake to a Russian company and left Azerbaijan, saying there were \u201ctoo many sharks in the pool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OCCRP has not verified this allegation, and Eyyubov did not respond to reporters\u2019 questions about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Azerbaijani corporate ownership information is not publicly available, making further investigation inside the country difficult. However, the appearance of Eyyubov\u2019s name in the Pandora Papers<\/a>, a leak of nearly 12 million files from 14 offshore corporate service providers obtained by ICIJ<\/a>, does show that, as early as 2007, he used an offshore company to receive money of unknown origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That October, the files show, a Zurich-based bank helped Eyyubov establish a company in the British Virgin Islands for the purpose of holding a bank account. A few months later, the company, called Mente Ventures S.A, received a wire transfer of $250,000 from a company based in New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stated purpose of the payment was \u201cfor stuff foods.\u201d Eyyubov is not known to have done business in the food sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No data about the origin of the money is available. But the New Zealand company that sent it, Bigland Corporation Limited, itself shows a pattern of suspicious activity. In addition to being suspected of money laundering by Danske Bank, Bigland was flagged by U.S. prosecutors as being one of the companies that received money from a Russian company involved in the infamous Magnitsky tax fraud<\/a>. Such companies are often used for multiple purposes, and there is no suggestion that Eyyubov had any involvement with the Magnitsky scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Georgian Friendship<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reporters spent months poring through business registries around the world trying to find corporate traces that would shed more light on the origins of the Eyyubov family\u2019s wealth. But while nothing concrete was found that would explain their real estate holdings, the records did reveal something else: A close business relationship with wealthy Georgian businessman Sulkhan Papashvili.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/sulkhan-papashvili-14b35029f95b01c7b5898718601dbb5ab3f754b837e611b7f8f2e94676005105.jpg\")
\nSulkhan Papashvili (second from right) accompanies Azerbaijan\u2019s President Ilham Aliyev (left) at the inauguration of Papashvili’s STDC data center in December, 2017 in Sumgayit, Azerbaijan. Credit: president.az<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Like Eyyubov, Papashvili was once a security official, heading the Special State Protection Service of Georgia between 1998 and 2003. Among other responsibilities, the service was charged with protecting the president, making him Eyyubov\u2019s one-time Georgian counterpart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mikroskopmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/london-cafe-elvira-eyyubova-Medium-1-1024x683.jpg\")